Department for Transport

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the energy requirement figures for the plans of HS2 (Phase 2) are.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Estimates of peak power demand for the Phase Two network will be available once the detailed work on the proposed route of Phase Two has been undertaken.

Shipping: Exhaust Emissions

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of vessels licensed to operate in the UK ferry industry are fitted with exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS); and what registration process shipowners must follow to convert a vessel to an EGCS which is compliant with the new sulphur dioxide emission regulations for commercial ships.

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the effect that the introduction of sulphur dioxide emission regulations from 1 January 2015 will have on the number of (a) UK and (b) non-UK seafarer (i) ratings and (ii) officers employed on ships in the (A) North Sea and (B) Channel.

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many ferry companies operating in the UK have announced (a) job and (b) route cuts in the last year in response to the introduction of sulphur dioxide emission regulations for shipping on 1 January 2015.

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the effect that the introduction of sulphur dioxide emission regulations from 1 January 2015 will have on the number of (a) UK and (b) non-UK seafarer (i) ratings and (ii) officers active at sea in each of the five years from 2014-15.

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the efficacy of the enforcement approach that the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) will take on introduction of the sulphur dioxide emission regulations for shipping companies from 1 January 2015; and what meetings the MCA has had with other port state control authorities in Europe on this issue since May 2010.

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to produce formal guidance to the shipping industry on the use of exhaust gas cleaning systems to comply with new sulphur dioxide emission regulations.

Mr John Hayes: DFDS Seaways has announced the closure of two ferry routes (Harwich–Esbjerg and Portsmouth–Le Havre) and has cited the sulphur regulations as a factor in the decision. However, although DFDS Seaways made reference to the increased cost of marine fuel that would follow the introduction of the new sulphur limit in both cases, its announcements indicated that both routes had already been in decline because of other factors. The Government is not aware of any other such announcements from other ferry operators concerning route closures affecting UK ports. The Government published a draft impact assessment in April 2014, as part of the public consultation on the draft legislation. We received no detailed information from consultees about the likely effect on seafarer numbers, either in general or specifically in the North Sea and the English Channel, following the introduction of the 0.1% per cent sulphur limit. Approval of an Exhaust Gas Cleaning System (EGCS) would be undertaken by the vessel’s flag State in line with the internationally agreed guidelines developed by the International Maritime Organization. To date, no UK registered ferries have been fitted with type approved EGCS systems although the Government is aware of both ferries and large passenger vessels that call at the UK that have been fitted with type approved systems. Guidance for shipowners on EGCS has been developed by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and consulted upon, with industry and others, and will be published alongside the final Regulations shortly. Enforcement will be carried out by the MCA as part of its existing enforcement activities, under a regime of proportionate and targeted compliance surveys. The proposed Regulations would provide sanctions for non-compliance. The MCA has discussed enforcement of the new requirements with other Members of the Paris Memorandum of Understanding. The UK has also been active in the European Sustainable Shipping Forum, established by the European Commission, which is developing guidelines to help inspectors enforce the new requirements on a consistent basis.  The Government is looking at ways of helping industry meet the new regulatory requirements. We have already been successful in supporting shipowners and ports who applied for EU assistance under the Trans European Network (TEN-T) programme to help purchase innovative technologies – including infrastructure for liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering. I propose to take matters further and identify additional options for financial assistance to the affected parts of the UK shipping and ports industries. It is my intention that this should come both from domestic and from EU sources, and I have instructed officials accordingly.   In particular, officials have already approached the European Commission to investigate the scope for State Aid in respect of ferry routes which are deemed to be vulnerable as a result of the new international and EU sulphur regime.

Private Finance Initiative

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many private finance initiative projects his Department contracted for in each year from 1997 to 2010.

Claire Perry: This information can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-finance-initiative-projects-2013-summary-data The data can be filtered by procuring authority and then by date of financial close in order to determine how many PFI projects were contracted by the Department for Transport in a specific year.

Taxis: Licensing

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he has taken to enable local authorities to retain information on sex offenders to inform the granting of licences to taxi drivers.

Mr John Hayes: In 2012, the Government amended legislation to allow local authorities to undertake enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service checks on all applicants for taxi and private hire vehicle driver licences. These checks will disclose convictions for sex offences and other relevant information that local authorities can take into consideration when deciding who to license. I have asked my Noble Friend, the Minister of State for Transport (Baroness Kramer) to write to all local authorities reminding them of the importance that the Government attaches to this matter.

Railways: Bridges

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential saving to the public purse arising from placing collision protection beams at bridges which have a high incidence of strikes from lorries or other vehicles.

Claire Perry: This is an operational matter for Network Rail as the responsible authority for railway infrastructure. Network Rail does place collision protection beams on many susceptible bridges where there is a history of bridge strikes. The provision of collision protection beams is a matter jointly for the highways authority and Network Rail and subject to Highway Agency design standard BD65/97.

Railways: Bridges

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many collisions involving a vehicle hitting a bridge resulted in a delay to train services on the King's Cross to King's Lynn line in each of the last two years.

Claire Perry: This Department does not hold this detailed information as it is an operational matter for Network Rail. Full details can be obtained from Mark Carne Chief Executive of Network Rail at Kings Place, 90 York Way, London, N1 9AG.

Home Office

Illegal Immigrants

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many illegal immigrants without passports from (a) India, (b) Bangladesh, (c) Pakistan and (d) China have been re-documented in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: Immigration Enforcement only applies for emergency travel documents for individuals who have no right to remain in the United Kingdom and do not hold a valid passport. The number of emergency travel documents issued during the last five years is set out in the table below:   2009/102010/112011/122012/132013/14Grand TotalBangladesh2124588349048183226China11869528898547064587India7027999269659594351Pakistan3527541262148114535302   Total2452 296339114204393617466   Internal Home Office management information has been used to provide a response to this question. These figures are not quality assured under National Statistics protocols and are subject to change due to internal data quality checking. Figures provided from this source do not constitute part of National Statistics and should be treated as provisional.

Human Trafficking

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many confiscation orders were imposed by the CPS on individuals convicted of offences related to human trafficking in each of the last five years; what the size of these orders was; and how much has been recovered under such orders.

Karen Bradley: The Government is committed to fighting human trafficking. Over £5.5 million has been recovered from those convicted of human trafficking offences in the last five years. Full available details are shown in the following table. A human trafficker may, as an alternative, be charged and prosecuted for a different offence, such as prostitution or money laundering, which could incur a confiscation order. But this would not be recorded as a trafficking offence.   



Table 1 - human trafficking
(Word Document, 11.42 KB)

Karen Bradley: The Government is committed to fighting human trafficking. Over £5.5 million has been recovered from those convicted of human trafficking offences in the last five years. Full available details are shown in the following table. A human trafficker may, as an alternative, be charged and prosecuted for a different offence, such as prostitution or money laundering, which could incur a confiscation order. But this would not be recorded as a trafficking offence.   



Table 1 - human trafficking
(Word Document, 11.42 KB)

Offences Against Children: Belfast

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she will decide whether she will include Kincora Boys Home in East Belfast in the scope of the child sex abuse inquiry led by Fiona Woolf.

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the terms of reference have yet been established for the inquiry into historical child sex abuse commissioned by her Department.

Norman Baker: The Terms of Reference for the Independent Panel Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse have been published and the geographic scope is limited to England and Wales. The protection of children is a devolved matter, and it would be inappropriate for the inquiry panel to make recommendations for Northern Ireland concerning the running of the child protection system there.However, as the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland set out in her statement to Parliament on 21 October, the Government is determined that no stone should be left unturned to investigate serious allegations of institutional failure. She has also made clear that the Government, Ministry of Defence and the Security Services will give the Inquiry the fullest possible co-operation. We currently believe that the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry is the best place to do that in respect of Kincora and we will work closely with, the Chairman of the Inquiry, Sir Anthony Hart to help to achieve that. We will monitor carefully the extent to which the Inquiry is able to make progress in respect of material relevant to Kincora and we will look at the situation again if the Inquiry tells us it is unable to determine the facts.

Immigration Controls

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what change there was in the number of passengers refused entry at port and subsequently deported from 2009 to 2010; and what assessment she has made of the reasons for that change.

James Brokenshire: A total of 18,276 people were refused entry at port and subsequently departed in 2010 compared with 29,162 in 2009.The number of people refused entry at port and subsequently departed has decreased since the beginning of the data series in 2004. The overall falls are likely to be due to a combination of factors, including: tighter screening of passengers prior to travel including upstream interventions by RALON; performance of carriers on their checks made in support of the Carrier’s liability requirements; effectiveness of visa regimes including the imposition of new visa regimes; for example, South African nationals have been required to have a visa for any length or type of visit to the UK since July 2009. In the past couple of years, the figures have shown small levels of fluctuations. The number of passengers refused entry at port and who subsequently departed has increased by 3% in the year ending June 2014, to 14,671 from 14,247 for the previous 12 months.

Private Finance Initiative

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many private finance initiative projects her Department contracted for in each year from 1997 to 2010.

Karen Bradley: All Private Finance Initiative projects contracted by the Home Department are available in the Home Office Annual Reporting Accounts. From 2004-05 onwards copies are available at the following links.2004-2005 (Note 24 on page 69)https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-office-resource-accounts-2004-to-2005https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/231887/0826.pdf2005-2006 (Note 28 on page 87)https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-office-resource-accounts-2005-to-2006https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/231470/0124.pdf2006-2007 (Note 28 on page 89)https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-office-resource-accounts-2006-to-2007https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/250494/1006.pdf2007-2008 (Note 28 on page 69)https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-office-resource-accounts-2007-08 https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/231192/0868.pdf2008-2009 (Note 28 on page 74)https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-office-resource-accounts-2008-to-2009https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/250601/0466.pdf2009-2010 (Note 27 on page 89)https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-office-resource-accounts-2009-to-2010https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/247694/0193.pdfPrior to 2004-05, copies are available in the House Library.

Mediterranean Sea

Mr Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to support countries of origin and transit in North Africa to assist them to prevent migrants from attempting dangerous sea crossings to travel to Europe; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mediterranean Sea

Mr Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with her counterparts in Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia on the decision to end funding for search and rescue missions for migrants in danger of drowning in the Mediterranean; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mediterranean Sea

Mr Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support she is providing to countries of origin and transit in North Africa to tackle smugglers and criminal gangs who transport migrants across the Mediterranean; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Terrorism: Republic of Ireland

Mr Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people (a) suspected of and (b) charged with terrorism offences have been surrendered by the Republic of Ireland to the UK in each of the last 30 years.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Police ICT Company

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress has been made on the development of the Police ICT Company.

Mike Penning: In June 2012 the Police ICT Company was established as a company limited by guarantee. It is currently jointly owned by the Home Office and the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC), until Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) take full ownership. As the Home Secretary said in her speech on 20 October, it is for PCCs to take immediate decisions on the specific functions of the company, and the development of a collective approach to managing and procuring police ICT. Local policing decisions, including on IT, are best made locally, by those accountable to the communities that the police serve.

Crime: Mental Illness

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her speech of 23 October 2014 in Central Hall, Westminster, entitled Home Secretary at the Policing and Mental Health Summit, whether the package of measures announced in that speech was recommended by her Department and the Department of Health's review of powers under the Mental Health Act 1983.

Mike Penning: The joint Home Office and Department of Health review of the operation of Sections 135 and 136 of the Mental Health Act is one part of the wider work being taken forward by the Government to review and improve access to appropriate help for those suffering mental ill health. Sections 135 and 136 relate to the detention of those with mental health problems; there are many other issues affecting the treatment of vulnerable people by the police. The package of measures announced by the Home Secretary on 23 October, while addressing some common themes, is separate to any specific recommendations which may stem from the review, which is expected to be published before the end of this year.

Offences against Children: Databases

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times digitally stored photographs seized by police forces in England and Wales investigating online child abuse were checked against the National Hash Set Database electronic database of known abuse images in each of the last four years; and how many times that database was used by each police force in England and Wales in that time.

Mike Penning: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asylum: Deportation

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been returned to France under the Dublin Convention in each year since 2010.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Terrorism: Republic of Ireland

Mr Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people (a) suspected of and (b) charged with terrorism-related offences were extradited to the UK from the Republic of Ireland in each of the last 30 years.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Counter-terrorism

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2014, to Question 210147, if she will (a) list which agencies are classified as frontline agencies, (b) provide a breakdown of Government spending by Department and (c) provide a brief explanation of the projects on which the funds were spent.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Police and Crime Commissioners

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to increase public awareness of police and crime commissioners; and if she will make a statement.

Mike Penning: Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) are much more visible than the anonymous Police Authorities they replaced. Previously, only seven per cent of the public knew to go to their Police Authority if they had a problem with policing in the local area. According to the latest independent Crime Survey for England and Wales, seven out of ten members of the public are aware of PCCs.In January, the National Audit Office, in their policing landscape review, said that public engagement had increased by 42 per cent. Public correspondence to PCCs has also increased markedly compared to that received by Police Authorities, with some PCCs’ offices reporting an 800 per cent increase.In the lead up to the 2012 elections the department ran a national awareness raising marketing campaign informing the public of the role and responsibilities a police and crime commissioner has. Since 2012 the department has run two further marketing campaigns, preceding by-elections in the West Midlands and South Yorkshire. These campaigns advertised in local press and across local radio stations as well as online advertising. Information about police and crime commissioners is made available on a range of government websites including GOV.UK and choosemypcc.org.uk. In addition, full details about all 41 PCCs is on the government's police.co.uk website which allows the public to access information showing the level of crime in their area and police performance. The website is one of the Government’s most popular with over 63 million visits since 2011.

Police and Crime Commissioners

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons her Department has transferred responsibility for the procurement of HOLMES 3 to police and crime commissioners; and what steps she is taking to provide the requisite procurement skills to police and crime commissioners.

Mike Penning: The Government is clear that local policing priorities should be driven by local need, not the Home Office. Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and Chief Constables are best placed to determine these priorities, and are accountable to the communities they serve. As HOLMES is a capability supporting these priorities, it is only right that this responsibility has been transferred to PCCs.We have established the Police ICT Company to provide the requisite procurement capability to PCCs to help them collectively manage and procure IT contracts and systems. As the company will be owned and led by PCCs, it is now for them to take immediate decisions on the specific functions of the company.

Frontex

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her policy is towards making a contribution to Operation Triton; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Female Genital Mutilation

Ms Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the level of female genital mutilation in the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: The Coalition Government has part funded a new study by Equality Now and City University into the prevalence of female genital mutilation in England and Wales. The interim report, published in July 2014, has estimated that approximately 60,000 girls aged 0-14 were born in England and Wales to mothers who had had FGM, and that approximately 103,000 women aged 15-49 and approximately 24,000 women aged 50 and over who have migrated to England and Wales are living with the consequences of FGM. In addition, approximately 10,000 girls aged under 15 who have migrated to England and Wales are likely to have suffered FGM. The full report, with data disaggregated to a local level, will be released in the new year.In addition, since April 2014 NHS staff have been required to record in a patient’s healthcare record whenever it is identified that the patient has suffered FGM. This applies to all NHS clinicians and healthcare professionals across the NHS. The collection became mandatory on 1 September 2014.The first aggregated monthly data return from acute hospital providers inEngland, published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre, reported that in September 2014 there were 1,279 patients identified as having undergoneFGM prior to the reporting period, who were still being actively seen or treatedfor FGM-related conditions or any other non-related condition, and 467 newly identified cases of FGM nationally.

Offences against Children: Databases

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2014, to Question 211467, what capability has existed for police forces to electronically match seized child abuse images against known such images seized (a) in the UK and (b) by Interpol partners in the period since the Childbase image database was disbanded in 2011; and what technological process is required in order to produce such a match.

Mike Penning: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Registration of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Civil Partnerships: Welsh Language

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to implement the recommendations in paragraph 12.2 of the report of the Commission on Devolution in Wales published in March 2014 in relation to the Welsh language registration of births, marriages and deaths and cremations and burials.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Drugs: Misuse

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 16 June 2014 to Question 200545, from the hon. Member for Liverpool, Wavertree, when she plans to publish her Departments review of the UK's legislative, educational and health review of psychoactive substances.

Norman Baker: These have now been published. A copy has been placed in Parliament’s Libraries and is available online on the government’s website at: www.gov.uk.

Passports

Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she intends to secure professional photo industry accreditation, sanction and support for plans to allow digital images to be used in future passport applications, and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Terrorism

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to ensure that the terror threat level in the UK is lowered.

James Brokenshire: We face a real and serious threat in the UK from international terrorism. The UK’s Counter Terrorism Strategy, CONTEST, sets out our approach to countering this threat and is based around the ‘4 Ps’ – Pursue: the investigation and disruption of terrorist attacks; Prevent: work to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism and extremism; Protect: improving our protective security to stop a terrorist attack; and Prepare: working to minimise the impact of an attack and to recover from it as quickly as possible. Taken together these programmes of work tackle the threat to the UK and its interests overseas from terrorism. The Home Secretary’s written statement of 9 April reports on our work in 2013, and we are committed to continuing to publish reports annually.So far in 2014 we are legislating to ensure that that we can prosecute people for all terrorist activity, even where that activity takes place overseas. We have also recently passed the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act 2014 to ensure continued retention of communications data.On 1 September the Prime Minister announced the government’s intention to introduce new counter-terrorism powers in order to meet the threats posed by the current conflicts in Syria and Iraq. The forthcoming legislation includes measures to disrupt travel to Syria or Iraq and manage the risk posed by returnees. These measures are currently being developed and will be brought forward in the near future.

Mediterranean Sea

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what contributions the Government made to the Mare Nostrum rescue program before the decision to no longer support it.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Immigration

Dr Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2014 to Question 207807, whether a date has been set for commencement of section 65 of the Immigration Act 2014.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Public Opinion

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department spent on (a) focus groups and (b) surveys in (i) 2013 and (ii) 2014 to date.

Karen Bradley: We are unable to answer this question as our financial accounting information system does not identify the cost of focus groups or surveys.

Arrest Warrants: Republic of Ireland

Mr Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the last European Arrest Warrant was issued by the UK to the Republic of Ireland in relation to an offence or offences related to terrorism.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Arrest Warrants: Republic of Ireland

Mr Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many European Arrest Warrants issued by the UK to the Republic of Ireland for terrorism-related offences remain outstanding.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Deportation: Students

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many students of have been deported from UK universities and colleges as a result of investigations into Educational Testing Service since February 2014.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Deportation: Students

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the country of origin was of each student deported as a result of the BBC Panorama investigation broadcast in February 2014; and to which country was each such student returned.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Deportation: Students

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many students of each institution have been deported from UK universities and colleges as a result of Educational Testing Service investigations in each month since February 2014.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Police Stations: Lighting

Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will issue guidance to operators of police forces that they should implement a replacement programme to introduce LED lighting in all police premises.

Karen Bradley: Police forces have installed LED lighting to reduce energy costs. The wider public sector, including police forces, is encouraged to make use of Government Buying Standards. These standards feature mandatory and best practice categories for lamps including LED lighting and are detailed in the below link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sustainable-procurement-the-government-buying-standards-gbs

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Pakistan

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations the Government has made to the Government of Pakistan about security threats and terrorism in the Quetta region.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Pakistan remains a priority partner for the UK on a range of national security issues, including counter terrorism. We regularly discuss these themes with Pakistani officials at both the national and regional level.On 19 September, the British High Commissioner to Pakistan met the Chief Minister of Balochistan (the province of which Quetta is the capital). On 12 September, he met the Governor of Balochistan. At both meetings, he discussed the security situation in Quetta and Balochistan.

Private Finance Initiative

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many private finance initiative projects his Department contracted for in each year from 1997 to 2010.

Mr David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has contracted only one private finance initiative (PFI) in the period in question. A PFI for the British Embassy in Berlin was commissioned in 2000 and is due to run until 2030.

Bahrain

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the government of Bahrain on that government's recent decision to revoke the nationality of 31 Bahraini political activists.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We have raised with the Government of Bahrain the decision to withdraw citizenship from 31 individuals in 2012. We encourage the authorities to conduct full and transparent investigations into any of those accused of crimes. Any charges against these individuals should be based on strong, credible evidence that will stand up to scrutiny. We commend the steps taken by the Bahraini government to implement the recommendations set out in the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry. As outlined in our recent human rights case study on Bahrain, progress has been made in a number of areas but there is still more to be done.

Colombia

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received about allegations of a reduction in protection afforded to (a) Senator Ivan Cepeda and (b) other opposition politicians and human rights and peace campaigners in Colombia.

Mr Hugo Swire: I have recently become aware of allegations of a reduction in protection afforded to Ivan Cepeda and other individuals in Colombia. I have also heard that budget restrictions are causing concern. My department are looking into these cases and will raise further if appropriate.

Ukraine

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he took with his international counterparts to ensure that the recent parliamentary elections in Ukraine were free and fair; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Lidington: The UK sent 71 observers to observe the parliamentary elections in Ukraine on 26 October as part of an Organisation for Security and Co-oporation in Europe delegation of 680 international observers. The Parliamentary Assembly for the Council of Europe also sent a delegation of 36 which was led by my Hon. Friend the Member for Christchurch (Mr Chope) and included my Hon. Friend the Member for North Thanet (Sir Roger Gale) and my Noble Friend the Lord Balfe. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), issued a statement on 24 October in which he commended all those working to ensure a free, fair and peaceful vote. The UK’s Permanent Representative to the UN also issued a statement which called on the elections to go ahead without external interference and pressed the Ukrainian authorities to take steps to ensure that as many Ukrainian citizens as possible could exercise their right to vote. On 27 October the Prime Minister, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), said he was proud that the UK had been able to support Ukraine in helping to make the elections free, fair and transparent and called upon Russia to respect the outcome as part of its commitment to the Minsk agreement.

Colombia

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Colombian government about the killing on 7 October 2014 of Norman Ortiz.

Mr Hugo Swire: I have recently become aware of reports on the death of Norman Ortiz. My department is looking into the case.

Trans-Dniestr

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to promote dialogue between the Moldovan government and Transnistria; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Lidington: The British Embassy in Chisinau has a number of projects in the Republic of Moldova (including in the Transnistrian region) that work to increase engagement and build confidence between the Sides (Moldova and the Transnistrian region). These projects are funded by the cross-Whitehall Conflict Pool and promote dialogue on all levels: political, business and civil society. They include conflict analysis training, summer and winter schools for young leaders and exchanges of peace-building experience based on the Northern Ireland example.The Embassy works closely with the Organisation for Security and Co-oporation in Europe, EU, United Nations Development Programme and other interested partners in Moldova on this issue. At the UK political level, The Leader of the House (in his then capacity as Foreign Secretary), I as Minister for Europe and the All-party parliamentary group (APPG) on Moldova have all visited the country this year. The APPG also visited Transnistria. The UK Government has repeatedly called for progress in the 5+2 talks on resolving the Transnistria protracted conflict, and continues to underline the need for dialogue at all levels.

Iraq

Sir Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how his Department plans to respond to Iraq's statement at the First Assembly of the UN General Assembly, requesting help from the international community for research into and decontamination of depleted uranium.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are aware of the request made by the Government of Iraq during its statement to the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October for Member States and relevant international organisations to conduct research into the impact of exposure to depleted uranium (DU) ammunition on human health and the environment and possible methods of treatment. We are conscious that some nations, international organisations and individuals are concerned that there may be a link between the use of DU ammunition and certain medical conditions. This is an issue taken very seriously by the Government. Scientific literature, including that of the Royal Society, the European Commission, the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Health Organisation, contains a substantial number of reports which indicate that DU has not been shown to have, and indeed is very unlikely to have, any significant impact on the health of the local population or on the veterans of conflicts in which these munitions are used.

Bahrain

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take steps to use the UK's membership of the UN Human Rights Council to introduce a resolution condemning human rights violations in Bahrain.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK remains actively engaged with the United Nations Human Rights Council on Bahrain and we will continue to align ourselves with statements which accurately reflect the situation on the ground. Bahrain was one of the countries that we raised in our national statement under Item 10 of the agenda at the September session at the Human Rights Council in Geneva. We commend the steps taken by the Bahraini government to implement the recommendations set out in the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry. As outlined in our recent human rights case study on Bahrain, progress has been made in a number of areas but there is still more to be done.

China

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on China's future plans for its submarine fleet; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) has had no discussions with his international counterparts on China’s future plans for its submarine fleet.

Bahrain

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent meetings he has had with Bahraini human rights advocates.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Our Ambassador and his team in Bahrain, and FCO officials in the UK, regularly meet with Bahraini civil society and NGOs to seek the widest views possible. Our engagement is constructive and focused on supporting political and human rights reform. In June, my predecessor, Rt Hon Sir Hugh Robertson MP KCMG, visited Bahrain and met a wide range of representatives including human rights defenders and civil society groups to hear their views on the political and human rights situation.We commend the steps taken by the Bahraini government to implement the recommendations set out in the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry. As outlined in our recent human rights case study on Bahrain, progress has been made in a number of areas but there is still more to be done.

Bahrain

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what meetings he has had with Prince Nasser bin Hamad of Bahrain since 2010.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Government has met Prince Nasser bin Hamad of Bahrain, as Commander of Bahrain’s Royal Guard and member of the Bahraini royal family, on a number of occasions since 2010.

Taiwan

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve bilateral relations with Taiwan.

Mr Hugo Swire: The UK enjoys a strong relationship with Taiwan, in the fields of trade, investment, education and culture. We consistently seek ways to develop this relationship further. Recent examples include: the Taiwan Britain Business Council held in London in May; a visit to Taiwan by Dame Julia King, the UK’s Low Carbon Business Ambassador in September; and the “GREAT Taste of Britain” campaign to promote British culture and food in Taiwan in October.

Falkland Islands

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart on furthering US support for British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.

Mr Hugo Swire: I discussed the US Government’s position on British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands and the Islanders' right of self determination with Assistant Under-Secretary Roberta Jacobson when I visited Washington in July, and senior Foreign Office officials have also raised the issue with their US counterparts. We will continue to do so as appropriate. We will also continue to highlight to the US government specific examples where Argentina’s approach to the Falkland Islands has a direct adverse impact on US as well as UK interests.

Multinational Companies

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what records his Department keeps of UK companies' compliance with OECD guidelines for multinational companies; and what steps his her Department takes when a company is known to be acting contrary to those guidelines.

Mr Hugo Swire: We encourage all UK-registered multinationals fully to respect the OECD Guidelines. They are voluntary principles and standards of corporate behaviour for multinational businesses, and Her Majesty’s Government does not keep a formal record of UK companies’ compliance with them other than the assessments and statements on complaints of the UK National Contact Point (NCP) published at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-national-contact-point-statements

Multinational Companies

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what guidance on OECD guidelines the UK Government gives to UK companies operating abroad.

Mr Hugo Swire: The UK has a National Contact Point (NCP) on the OECD guidelines, provided by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills with support from the Department for International Development. It raises awareness of the guidelines by undertaking promotional activities, and handling enquiries. Its guidance is available at: www.gov.uk/uk-national-contact-point-for-the-organisation-for-economic-co-operation-and-development-oecd-guidelines-for-multinational-enterprises. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) also provides an extensive and detailed set of information for companies on the policy and implementation of OECD guidelines.

Bahrain

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with Bahraini government on its (a) human rights record and (b) allegations of torture against political prisoners.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Our Ambassador and his team regularly discuss human rights, including allegations of torture and mistreatment, with the Government of Bahrain at the highest levels. The British Government consistently and unreservedly condemns torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and it is a priority for us to combat it wherever and whenever it occurs. As well as raising our concerns with the Government of Bahrain, the UK continues to work with the Bahraini authorities to share best practice on torture prevention measures and address allegations of torture and mistreatment.We commend the steps taken by the Bahraini Government to implement the recommendations set out in the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry. As outlined in our recent human rights case study on Bahrain, progress has been made in a number of areas but there is still more to be done.

Norfolk Island

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his US counterpart on Norfolk Island in the last 12 months.

Mr Hugo Swire: Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers have not discussed Norfolk Island with the US in the last year.

Pitcairn Islands

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the sustainability of the Pitcairn Islands.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: In 2013, the Government of Pitcairn and Her Majesty's Government commissioned two independent pieces of analysis. One into the appetite amongst the Pitcairn diaspora for return to the island, and the other on the broader economic potential of the island. Both reports recognised that unless the population of the island increases, it will be a challenge to maintain the longer-term sustainability of Pitcairn. Her Majesty's Government fully supports the economic development of the Pitcairn Islands. The Government of Pitcairn has recently worked up a new Strategic Development Plan and a repopulation plan, and Her Majesty’s Government has given advice on both these documents. The Pitcairn Island Council is currently reconsidering those documents alongside HMG’s advice. We will continue to work in partnership with the Government of Pitcairn to support the community in Pitcairn as we consider longer-term options for the island. Given the acute challenges Pitcairn faces, a new office of Administrator will replace the current role of Governor’s Representative on the island by the end of the year to provide more assistance at this critical stage.

Hong Kong

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support the UK is providing to the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong.

Mr Hugo Swire: HMG Officials and Ministers have maintained a regular dialogue with all sides of the constitutional reform debate in Hong Kong. I have met with members of the Central People’s Government, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Regions (SAR) Government, and with two Hong Kong democracy advocates during their visit to London in July. They also met separately with the Deputy Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the member for Sheffield Hallam (Mr Clegg).As I noted in my Written Ministerial Statement to Parliament on 13 October, and in my response to a Westminster Hall debate on 22 October, the Government continues to encourage all parties to engage in dialogue and to work towards a consensus that allows a significant step forward for democracy in Hong Kong. The Government has consistently called on all sides to ensure that the demonstrations remain peaceful.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure MONUSCO peace-keepers are implementing their mandate.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) has a clear mandate and we are working through the UN Security Council and with the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General, MONUSCO, the government of DRC and governments of the region to ensure it is fully implemented.In August, the UK used its Presidency of the UN Security Council to draw attention to the importance of MONUSCO implementing its mandate, with the then Minister for Africa, Mark Simmonds MP, chairing a discussion in the UN Security Council which also involved senior Ministers from the region. In September my Hon Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge MP), the Minister for Africa, discussed implementation of MONUSCO’s mandate with the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General and Head of MONUSCO, Martin Kobler (SRSG). Senior officials in Kinshasa and New York regularly discuss progress and raise issues of concern, including when we believe peacekeepers have fallen short in implementing MONUSCO’s mandate to protect civilians. This has included accompanying the SRSG on visits to peacekeepers on the ground to emphasise what more they need to do to implement the mandate. We have raised the importance of political support for implementing the mandate with governments in the region, including countries which contribute troops to the Force Intervention Brigade. We are also contributing to an ongoing strategic review of MONUSCO which will focus on ways to further deliver the robust and mobile force needed to fully implement the mandate.

Members: Correspondence

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the reasons were for the time taken by his Department to reply to correspondence from the hon. Member for West Lancashire on Virunaga National Park.

Mr David Lidington: I understand that the unacceptably long delay in providing a response to the correspondence in question was caused by administrative difficulties in transferring the response between Government Departments. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) responded to 95 per cent of all ministerial correspondence within its twenty-day deadline in 2013 and I am sorry that, in this instance, the response was not received as promptly as it should have been. The letter from the hon. Member for West Lancashire was recieved by the FCO on 8 September and a response was sent to her on 30 September.

Iran

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Iranian authorities on the imprisonment of Maryam Naghash Zargaran.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are aware of the imprisonment in Iran of Maryam Naghash Zargaran. We remain deeply concerned by the detention and ill treatment of all prisoners of conscience in Iran, and the ongoing discrimination against Christians and other minority religious groups. We have called for the Iranian Government to protect the rights of all minority groups in Iran and to end the persecution of individuals on the basis of their faith.

Central African Republic

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking in collaboration with Deputy Special Representative of MINUSCA, Diane Corner, to ensure that a comprehensive and inclusive disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration process is planned and prioritised in the Central African Republic.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: MINUSCA (United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic) assumed responsibility from the AU Mission, MISCA (African-led support mission to the Central African Republic) on 15 September. The mission’s mandate includes a call for “support for the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of former armed elements, with specific attention to children, and the repatriation of foreign elements, as well as community violence-reduction programmes”. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials are monitoring MINUSCA’s progress on all areas of the mandate as the mission works to build up to full capacity; and are in close contact with Diane Corner (Deputy SRSG)on this. We have encouraged the UN to prioritise their efforts given the Mission is in early stages, and the operational challenges due to the surge in violence in CAR in recent weeks. Ensuring security is an essential first step in bringing peace and stability to CAR. MINUSCA has a phased mandate, with its priority task being the protection of civilians; HMG supports this approach.

Malaysia

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has received on the conviction against Anwar Ibrahim, Leader of the Opposition of Malaysia; if he will raise his conviction for sodomy with his Malaysian counterpart; and if he will assess whether the charge and conviction of Anwar Ibrahim is a case of political persecution.

Mr Hugo Swire: Along with Parliamentary Question 211845, answered on 29 October 2014 (www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?) and correspondence from Members of Parliament and Peers, we have also received letters from members of the public on this issue.   My right hon. and noble Friend the former Minister of State, Baroness Warsi met Anwar Ibrahim during her visit to Malaysia in April and raised his case with senior members of the Malaysian government. Our High Commission in Malaysia has discussed the matter with Malaysian ministers and officials on a number of occasions. The former Minister of State again met Anwar Ibrahim during the latter’s visit to the UK in June.   Anwar Ibrahim’s appeal against his conviction is being monitored closely by officials from our High Commission in Malaysia who are attending court hearings alongside other local diplomatic missions. We are aware of allegations that the case is politically motivated. As the case is not yet concluded, it would be inappropriate to comment further.

Nigeria

Mr Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Nigerian counterpart on alleged human rights abuses by the Nigerian military; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Government has made clear to the Nigerian authorities, at all levels, that whilst we support Nigeria’s fight against terrorism, we do not condone human rights violations. We have urged Nigeria to respond constructively to credible reports of human rights violations and to launch independent investigations. During his meeting with the Nigerian Foreign Minister in Abuja on 3 September, my Hon Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge MP), the Minister for Africa, underlined the importance we attach to the respect for human rights and the safeguarding of the civilian population.

Boko Haram

Mr Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking with his international counterparts to co-ordinate the rescue of girls and women kidnapped by Boko Haram; what steps he is taking to help prevent further such abductions; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK is working closely with Nigeria, its neighbours and other international partners to tackle Boko Haram, including to find victims of abduction. The UK is providing a substantial package of support, including training and advice to Nigerian military units that will be deployed against Boko Haram, surveillance assets and intelligence expertise. We have also committed £1 million to the UN Safe Schools Initiative, designed to promote a safer environment for children in north east Nigeria to receive their education.

Guinea-Bissau

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the government of Guinea-Bissau  on dealing with Ebola.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The government has had conversations with the government of Guinea-Bissau about its response to the Ebola crisis: most recently in September when the non-resident British Ambassador to Guinea Bissau visited Bissau and met with Prime Minister Domingos Simoes Pereira. Discussions will continue when the Ambassador visits again later this month. We are also working closely with multilateral partners such as the EU and UNICEF to support Guinea-Bissau to focus on its own preparedness in line with World Health Organization recommendations and guidelines.

Northern Ireland Office

Political Parties: Finance

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what progress has been made on her Department's review of the exemption to the publication of party political donations in Northern Ireland.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Following public consultation earlier this year, we have been working closely with the Electoral Commission to finalise secondary legislation that will allow for greater transparency for donations and loans to political parties in Northern Ireland. This legislation will be brought before the House when consultation with the Electoral Commission has concluded.

Private Finance Initiative

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many private finance initiative projects her Department contracted for in each year from 1997 to 2010.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: Because of the devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010, and subsequent reconfiguration of the Northern Ireland Office, my Department does not hold information for the periods prior to 2010; attempting to obtain this information would incur disproportionate cost.

Electoral Register: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if she will take steps to ensure that the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland holds additional registration clinics before March 2015 in areas remote from any electoral offices.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland will run a programme of registration clinics in early 2015 throughout Northern Ireland. The Electoral Office will consult political parties at local level in advance on the locations for the clinics.

Attorney General

Private Finance Initiative

Simon Kirby: To ask the Attorney General, how many private finance initiative projects the Law Officers' Departments contracted for in each year from 1997 to 2010.

Mr Robert Buckland: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has had two private finance initiative (PFI) contracts between 1997 and 2010 as follows.   Information Technology (IT) managed service The Department's IT service is provided through a PFI managed service contract with CGI (formally Logica) which was let from 1 April 2002. The contract currently runs until 30 November 2015 and provides for further extension options until 31 March 2017.   Communications managed service The Department's communications are provided through a managed service PFI contract with Level 3. This was let from 1 April 2006 and the contract runs until 30 November 2015.   The remaining Law Officers’ Departments have not contracted any PFI projects during the specified period of time.

Arrest Warrants

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney General, what recent assessment he has made of the usefulness of the European Arrest Warrant as a prosecutorial tool.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney General, what recent discussions he has had with the Director of Public Prosecutions on the usefulness of the European Arrest Warrant as a prosecutorial tool.

Jeremy Wright: The Government and the DPP are in agreement that the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) offers the best way of keeping Britain safe, particularly from serious criminals and terrorists.The introduction of the EAW has resulted in much faster processing of extradition requests, meaning that we can secure the return of fugitives wanted for serious offending in this country often in a matter of weeks, not many months or even years as was the case under previous arrangements. The Arrest Warrant is also more effective. For example, under the previous regime, the European Convention on Extradition, some Member States can refuse to surrender their own nationals, including France, Germany and Spain, which is not the position in EAW cases. Furthermore, the EAW overcomes problems of time limitation in other countries. It also means that wanted people can now be extradited to face fraud and tax charges, which was not the case before.The Government has recently made changes in the way that the EAW is processed through our courts. These changes are designed to offer greater protection to UK citizens and other UK residents against disproportionate requests and the risk of spending unreasonable lengths of time in pre-trial detention abroad. With those changes in place, the Government is convinced that the EAW provides an effective and cost-efficient tool in the fight against trans-national crime, and it is one which prosecutors and other law enforcement professionals are keen to see preserved.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

UKTI Defence and Security Organisation

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many staff worked for the UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation (UKTI DSO) on 1 April 2014; and what the budget of the UKTI DSO is for 2014-15.

Matthew Hancock: At 1 April 2014 the UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation had 128 staff-in-post. As at 1 April the 2014-15 budget for UKTI DSO was £10.5M NET.

Home Care Services

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the merits of HM Revenue and Customs launching pro-active investigations into the non-payment of the national minimum wage.

Jo Swinson: The Government has not undertaken a formal assessment of the merits of pro-active investigations but believes they are an important part of enforcement.   HMRC published findings from their targeted social care evaluation on 25 November 2013. Over the period 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2013, HMRC had made enquiries into 224 employers in the social care sector. Of the cases completed by the end of September 2014, HMRC have found non-compliance in 108 (48%) of their enquiries, identifying £1,319,729 arrears of pay for 6,550 workers, with penalties issued with a total value of £146,931.   As part of this targeted enforcement activity, HMRC have collaborated with care sector representative bodies to improve understanding of compliance risks and design controls within payroll systems that prevent workers being underpaid the minimum wage.   The Department of Health has recently published statutory guidance for local authorities as part of the package of secondary legislation that accompanies the Care Act. The chapter of statutory guidance on commissioning and market shaping explicitly states that local authorities should have evidence that contract terms, conditions and fee levels will not compromise care providers’ ability to pay at least minimum wages. A copy of the guidance can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/care-act-2014-statutory-guidance-for-implementation   The Department of Health is asking all Local Authorities to sign up to the Social Care Commitment which incorporates a statement about employer compliance with minimum wage legislation. The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services has written out to all its members encouraging them to support the Commitment as a way of raising standards in adult social care.   We regularly update our Guidance on Gov.UK and we will continue to work with the sector to improve understanding and compliance.   Any worker who believes that they are being paid below the minimum wage should call the Pay & Work Rights Helpline on 0800 917 2368. HM Revenue & Customs investigate all complaints.

Pay

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the cost of paying a one-off payment to the staff of his Department in lieu of their entitlement to annual increments was.

Jo Swinson: The cost of paying a one-off payment to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills staff in lieu of their entitlement to annual increments was £3.2m. This cost is offset against a reduction in overall pay bill costs over the longer term.   The non-consolidated payments were staggered by grade in line with contractual step values. AA£1008AO£1168EO£1360HEO£1656SEO£1880G7£2528G6£3060

Pay

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the payback period is in relation to the one-off payment to staff in his Department who have opted to forego their entitlement to annual increment payments.

Jo Swinson: The payback period in relation to the one-off payment to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills staff who opted to forego their entitlement to annual increment payment was estimated to be 6 years. This is based upon an assumption of 1% paybill increases year on year until 2020.

Private Finance Initiative

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many private finance initiative projects his Department contracted for in each year from 1997 to 2010.

Jo Swinson: The Department and its agencies contracted for the following number of projects each year (excluding years when no projects were contracted for):1998 – 2 projects (National Physical Laboratory and the Elgar contract)2007 – 1 project (Insolvency Service Infrastructure contract)This covers the following administrative departments: Department for Trade and Industries, Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Post Offices

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many post offices will be affected by the Network Transformation Programme in each region and constituent part of the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Swinson: The Government has committed nearly £2 billion since 2010 to maintain a network of at least 11,500 branches and to protect and modernise the network by 2018, securing its long-term sustainable future. Under the Government funded Network Transformation programme, the Post Office is modernising and improving its national network with branches benefiting from investment and customers seeing big improvements with converted branches typically offering much longer opening hours in brighter more attractive customer environments. National rollout of Network Transformation began in October 2012, and to-date 3,363 post offices have already been modernised under the programme. The programme is fully-funded and by March 2018 around 8,300 branches will have converted, with a further 3,400 ‘Community Branches’ benefitting from access to a £20 million investment fund. I include a breakdown of modernised branches to-date, by nation and region, in the table below. Network Transformation – Number of modernised branches by UK nation and region (data provided by Post Office Limited – as at 2 November 2014)  Number of BranchesEnglandEast Midlands214East of England325London277North East177North West362South East396South West382West Midlands276Yorkshire and the Humber338Northern Ireland110Scotland310Wales196 Total 3363

Video Games

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what funds distributed by UK Trade and Investment were allocated to the video  games sector in each of the last three years; and what proportion of the total funding from UK Trade and Investment that represented in each such year.

Matthew Hancock: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Video Games

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2014 to Question 211397, what plans the Government has to increase the proportion of Technology Strategy Board funds allocated to the video games sector.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Innovate UK is responsible for determining its spending priorities, in the context of the Tasking Framework Letter issued to it by my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills after each Spending Review.   The main competition that has supported games businesses is Innovate UK’s £15M "Cross-Platform Production in Digital Media" programme, which is directed towards encouraging games, film and TV sectors to innovate together. This competition is now closed and Innovate UK has no more planned competitions within the current Spending Review period.   Video games businesses have wider capabilities which make them suited to addressing challenges in areas such as healthcare management, transport management and urban living. Innovate UK funds are available for innovation in each of these areas, and games businesses expertise may have a strong role to play, but the award of any funding will be subject to Innovate UK’s normal competitive processes.   Also, Innovate UK support for small and medium-sized businesses is continually available through programmes like its Smart scheme, which is open to businesses in all technology areas.

Farepak

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, in which publications the Insolvency Service has placed advertisements about Farepak unclaimed funds.

Jo Swinson: The Insolvency Service has not placed any adverts about Farepak in any publications. However, the Insolvency Service has liaised with media outlets and the matter has been covered by BBC Moneybox, MoneySaving Expert and BBC Watchdog. The issue has also been covered in the Western Daily Press, Accountancy Age, Scotland Mail, and the Swindon Advertiser.   In addition, a statement has been published on the Insolvency Service website asking creditors to contact them to claim their money (http://www.insolvency.gov.uk/insolvency/Companies/Farepak). The statement was also sent out via Twitter and generated 21 associated tweets, discussing the dividends.

Farepak

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much the Insolvency Service has spent on advertising relating to Farepak unclaimed funds to date.

Jo Swinson: The Insolvency Service has not spent any money on paid advertising in relation to Farepak unclaimed funds.

Farepak

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many advertisements the Insolvency Service has placed about Farepak unclaimed funds in (a) newspapers, (b) magazines, (c) television, (d) social media, (e) transport and (f) radio.

Jo Swinson: The Insolvency Service has not placed any adverts about Farepak. However, a statement was published on the Insolvency Service website (http://www.insolvency.gov.uk/insolvency/Companies/Farepak) asking creditors to contact them to claim their money.   The statement was also sent out via Twitter and generated 21 associated tweets, discussing the dividends.   The Director of Business Services at The Insolvency Service was interviewed on BBC Radio Scotland and Wiltshire, two of the areas most affected by the collapse of the company.   The story also appeared in the Western Daily Press, Accountancy Age, Scotland Mail, and the Swindon Advertiser.   The Insolvency Service has liaised with media outlets and the matter has been covered by BBC Moneybox, MoneySaving Expert and BBC Watchdog.

Mobile Phones: Contracts

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will take steps to ensure that mobile telephone operators and other companies display the total cost of consumer contracts over the contracts' lifetime, including predicted inflation rises at the point of sale.

Jo Swinson: The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 set out the information that a consumer must be given before they enter into a contract with a trader. This includes “the total price of the goods or services inclusive of taxes, or where the nature of the goods or services is such that the price cannot reasonably be calculated in advance, the manner in which the price is to be calculated”.   To further safeguard consumers, Ofcom introduced new rules in January 2014 which mean that for contracts entered into after 23 January 2014, when the agreed core price increases mid-contract, consumers can exit their contracts without penalty and hence can switch to another provider or tariff. This applies to all communications providers.

New Businesses: Brigg

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many start-up loans have been granted in Brigg and Goole constituency  since that scheme's inception; and how much has been granted through such loans.

Matthew Hancock: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Industrial Health and Safety

Dr Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to encourage employer best practice in relation to employee wellbeing.

Jo Swinson: To support employers to take up best practice, the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas), working with my department, has published online guidance to managers on the practical steps they can take to enhance the wellbeing of their staff. This guidance was drawn from material gathered in research into the relationship between worker wellbeing and business performance published by my department on 29 October 2014. This can be found at: www.acas.org.uk/workplacewellbeing.   That research shows that workplaces with “highly satisfied” employees have higher labour productivity, higher quality of output, and higher overall performance. I continue to support private sector led initiatives such as Engage for Success. More information can be found about Engage for Success at: www.engageforsuccess.org.

Industrial Health and Safety

Dr Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of potential relationships between employee wellbeing, productivity and levels of absenteeism.

Jo Swinson: The Department published an analysis of the relationship between worker wellbeing and business performance on 29 October. It finds that workplaces with "very satisfied" employees had higher labour productivity, higher quality of output, and higher overall performance. It also cites other research that finds a correlation showing absenteeism falls as worker wellbeing increases. This analysis can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/worker-wellbeing-and-workplace-performance.

Bahrain

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what arms the UK has sold to the government of Bahrain since 2010; what licence conditions were imposed on exporters; and what due diligence was undertaken to ensure those weapons would not be used on Bahraini citizens.

Matthew Hancock: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

UK Coal

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many full-time equivalent officials of what grade in his Department have been assigned to assist UK Coal in the drafting of a state aid bid.

Matthew Hancock: Senior Officials from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) Yorkshire Humber North East Office have been assigned to assist UK Coal following their interest in applying for government funding to extend the operation of the two remaining deep mines until the end of 2018. These officials met with UK Coal on 10 October and are now working with them to help prepare a case for Government support. The company fully understands that this is the first phase of a complex and challenging process before the government submits a state aid case to the European Commission.

Department for International Development

Ebola

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to encourage long-term measures to bring about systemic changes required to better cope with future Ebola outbreaks.

Justine Greening: The UK is leading the international response to Ebola in Sierra Leone. This outbreak of Ebola is unprecedented in scale and highlights the vital importance of strong public healthcare systems. The UK is the biggest bilateral donor to Sierra Leone and commenced a major health systems programme in 2012.

Private Finance Initiative

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many private finance initiative projects her Department contracted for in each year from 1997 to 2010.

Justine Greening: DFID has not entered into any Private Finance Initiative projects (PFIs) for the period 1997 to 2010.

Developing Countries: Disease Control

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department gives to (a) the European and Devoloping Countries Clinical Trials Partnership, (b) other innovative financing partnerships to develop new global health commodities for diseases of poverty including HIV/Aids and tuberculosis, (c) the TB Alliance, (d) the International Aids Vaccine Initiative and (e) other product development partnerships.

Lynne Featherstone: The UK Medical Research Council (MRC) leads the UK Government relationship with the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP). Over the period 2013-2018, DFID will provide £10 million to EDCTP through the MRC. In addition DFID support for product development research is counted as a Member State contribution to EDCTP.   DFID contributes to a number of innovative product development partnerships (PDPs) for the development of drugs, vaccines, diagnostics and other technologies for diseases of poverty. Funding of £138 million for 2013-2018 was announced in August 2013 and includes support for the TB Alliance, the International AIDS vaccine Initiative and eight other PDPs (details of the awards were published in August 2013 and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/dfid-invests-to-save-millions-from-deadly-diseases). In addition over the period 2012-2017, DFID will provide £6.5 million for the Saving Lives at Birth programme in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, US Government, Norwegian Government and Grand Challenges Canada. This programme is supporting new technologies to prevent mothers and babies dying at birth.

Nigeria

Ms Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance is being provided to the government of Nigeria with regard to the continued abduction and maltreatment of women and girls by Boko Haram.

Lynne Featherstone: In 2014 DFID doubled UK investment in north east Nigeria conflict resolution programmes to make communities safer. DFID’s Nigerian Stability and Reconstruction Programme is providing support to civil society organisations working on conflict management and on violence against women and girls. This includes offering support specifically to victims of sexual violence in Borno State.   DFID is providing technical assistance to the Government of Nigeria to support them to meet the immediate needs of the population and address underlying grievances. This is key to stabilising north east Nigeria. The UK Government is also delivering direct training to the Nigerian army and supporting regional intelligence sharing to support the Government of Nigeria tackle Boko Haram.

Ebola

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much the UK has (a) pledged for and (b) deposited in the UN Ebola Response Multi-Partner Trust Fund; and how much such funds represent as a proportion of the amount requested by the UN.

Justine Greening: As part of the UK’s £205 million commitment to the Ebola response, £20 million has been pledged to the UN Ebola Multi-Partner Trust Fund, in response to the UN’s call for almost $1 billion to tackle the crisis.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what reports she received of the use of UN humanitarian helicopters to transport military personnel in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo; whether such transport is in accordance with the MONUSCO mandate; whether such transport is funded by her Department; and what assessment she has made of the effect of such transport on the (a) safety and (b) effectiveness of humanitarian personnel.

Lynne Featherstone: UN humanitarian helicopters are operated by the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS), which transports humanitarian organisations and donor representatives in the DRC and completes airlift operations. Unless specially authorised by the UN Humanitarian Coordinator or the World Food Programme Country Director, military personnel may not be carried on UNHAS flights. No arms and ammunition are allowed on board UNHAS flights. On 23 July 2014 the Humanitarian Coordinator in the DRC authorised the transport of some MONUSCO staff in UNHAS planes to small bases in the west of the DRC, in areas where no other transport options are available. MONUSCO staff can only be transported in civilian clothing, and no military equipment will be transported by UNHAS.

Nigeria

Mr Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what practical support her Department has provided to help women who were kidnapped and subsequently escaped from or were released by Boko Haram to deal with psychosocial trauma; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: In 2014 DFID doubled UK investment in north east Nigeria conflict resolution programmes to make communities safer. DFID’s Nigerian Stability and Reconstruction Programme is providing support to civil society organisations working on conflict management and on violence against women and girls. This includes offering support specifically to victims of sexual violence in Borno State.

Department for Education

First Aid

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will take steps to ensure that more young people are trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Mr Nick Gibb: Schools can choose whether to cover this topic as part of their curriculum. The non-statutory framework for Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education produced by the PSHE Association provides a context for teaching young people about emergency lifesaving skills (ELS) and resuscitation. At primary level, pupils can learn about basic emergency procedures and where to get help, and at secondary level they can develop the skills to cope with emergency situations that require basic first aid procedures, including resuscitation techniques. The Department for Education is encouraging schools to purchase defibrillators as part of their first aid equipment, and is currently working in partnership with the Department of Health and stakeholders to identify a supplier of defibrillators at a competitive price. An announcement is expected in early December.

Schools: Mental Health Services

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve access to mindfulness programmes in schools.

Mr Nick Gibb: The Department for Education is committed to supporting schools and colleges to prepare well-rounded young people who are able to succeed in adult life. Schools must provide a curriculum that promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development. All children should engage in a rich provision of classroom and extra-curricular activities that help to develop character and resilience. Schools and teachers are best placed to understand the needs of their pupils. Schools have the freedom to decide if they want to use external programmes to help deliver their curriculum and to provide effective pastoral support. Many schools offer a range of programmes that support pupils’ resilience, well-being and mental health, and they can use programmes relating to Mindfulness if they consider them to be appropriate for their pupils.

Schools: Inspections

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will reinstate references to child wellbeing in the Ofsted inspection framework.

Mr David Laws: This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw. A copy of his reply will be placed in the library of the House.

Young People: Training

Mr David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of the core target group of 16 to 19-year olds have (a) applied for and (b) been accepted onto a traineeship to date in Bury St Edmunds constituency.

Nick Boles: I can confirm that traineeships provision is available in Bury St Edmunds, although traineeships data is not available at local authority or constituency level.Traineeships are off to a strong start. Provisional data published on 16 October shows that 7,000 16 – 18-year-olds started a traineeship in the first year of the programme.This data is published online at: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/learner-participation-outcomes-and-level-of-highest-qualification-held

Free Schools

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment (a) her Department and (b) Ofsted have made of the consistency with which free schools are operating in accordance with the School Admissions Code.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of free schools which do not operate in accordance with the School Admissions Code.

Mr Edward Timpson: Ofsted has no role in overseeing admissions. It is for the free school trust to ensure that its admission arrangements comply fully with the Admissions Code.My Rt hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education can agree different arrangements (‘derogations’ from the Code) for individual academies and free schools, but only in limited circumstances, and where there is demonstrable evidence that it would benefit local children. 54 free schools and three academies have specified derogations.Anyone can object to the Schools Adjudicator if they have concerns about admission arrangements. The Schools Adjudicator will consider all objections to the admission arrangements of all state-funded schools, including mainstream free schools. Her decision is binding.

Children: Health

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that the education system gives due consideration to the promotion of child wellbeing.

Mr Nick Gibb: The school curriculum must be broad and balanced. It must promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development, and prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. Personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education supports the teaching of all subjects across the school curriculum. With a new slimmed down curriculum, schools have more freedom and autonomy to integrate activities into the curriculum which can promote pupils’ wellbeing and build character. We have introduced a new departmental priority with the aim of supporting schools and colleges to prepare well-rounded young people for success in adult life. We are working closely with the Department of Health’s Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Taskforce, which includes school representatives, to look at how we can further improve the prevention and identification of mental health problems and access to mental health services.

16-19 Bursary Fund

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when considering a payment through the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund, whether the personal circumstances of a student undergoing financial hardship should be taken into account by a sixth form college.

Mr David Laws: The 16 to 19 Bursary Fund supports the most financially disadvantaged 16- to 19-year-olds and those young people who most need help with the costs of staying in education. Schools, colleges and providers are allocated funding from which they can make discretionary awards to young people who are facing genuine financial barriers to participating in education.   In the annually updated guide published by the Education Funding Agency, institutions are advised that they should assess each student’s individual circumstances when deciding whether to award a discretionary bursary. The Government believes that institutions are best placed to decide which students face financial barriers to effective participation in education and institutions are free to determine the eligibility criteria they apply for discretionary bursary awards as well as the frequency and conditions of payments.   If a student in financial difficulties believes that their personal circumstances have not been taken into account and as a result they are facing hardship, I would urge them to ask their institution to look again at their claim.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the merits of extending the Pupil Premium to all children educated at home.

Mr David Laws: The aim of the Pupil Premium is to raise the attainment of mainly economically disadvantaged pupils, which is why the funding is focused on those children who have been on free school meals at some point in the last six years.  There are no plans to extend the Pupil Premium to children who are educated at home. The Government respects the right of parents to choose how their children are educated, whether this is at home or in any of the institutions available to them. However, parents who choose to home educate their children must take responsibility for costs. Local authorities have the power to give assistance to parents who home school if they so choose.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will extend the Pupil Premium to children who are educated at home and have (a) foetal alcohol spectrum disorder and (b) other special needs.

Mr David Laws: There are no plans to extend the Pupil Premium to children who are educated at home, or to children with either foetal alcohol spectrum disorder or other special needs. The aim of the Pupil Premium is to help schools close the attainment gap, with funding focused on those children who have been on free school meals at some point in the last six years.   The Government respects the right of parents to choose how their children are educated, whether this is at home or in any of the institutions available to them. However, parents who choose to home educate their children must take responsibility for the costs.  Local authorities have the power to choose to give assistance to parents who home school. This can include providing support to children with special educational needs, whether or not they have a statement or Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. The 0-25 SEND Code of Practice makes it clear that local authorities should work with parents and consider whether to provide support in the home to help the parents make suitable provision. Where an authority draws up a statement or EHC plan which ‘names’ home education as the right provision for the child then they must make any additional special educational provision set out by the statement or plan.

Schools: Suffolk

Mr David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Ofsted inspections were carried out in Suffolk local education authority area in (a) primary, (b) secondary, (c) straight-through, (d) nursery and (e) other schools in each of the last five years.

Mr David Laws: This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw. A copy of his reply will be placed in the library of the House.

Teachers: Secondary Education

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers of science, technology, engineering and mathematics there were in UK secondary schools in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14.

Mr David Laws: The following table provides the number of science (by separate science subject), technology, engineering and mathematics teachers in service in publicly funded secondary schools in England in November of each year from 2011 to 2013: [1], [2]   Subject [3]201120122013Physics5,9006,0006,200Chemistry6,9007,2007,400Biology8,5008,7008,800Combined/General Science34,70032,70032,900Other Sciences2,8002,4002,400Technology14,80013,80013,400Engineering1,6001,5001,500Mathematics35,20032,80033,300Source: School Workforce Census [1] Figures are based on a large sample of over 70% of secondary schools.[2] Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.[3] Each teacher is counted once under each subject they teach.   Information for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is a matter for the respective devolved administrations.

Private Finance Initiative

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many private finance initiative projects her Department contracted for in each year from 1997 to 2010.

Mr David Laws: The Department for Education has not entered into any private finance contracts. The Department has, however, approved 171 private finance schools contracts entered into by other bodies, such as local authorities. Details of these contracts are published online: www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-finance-initiative-projects-2013-summary-data

Schools: Fareham

Mr Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many new places at (a) primary and (b) secondary schools have been created in Fareham constituency in the last 12 months.

Mr Edward Timpson: The Department for Education collects information from local authorities on the number of school places in state-funded primary and secondary schools, except special schools, as part of the annual School Capacity Collection. The most recent data available relates to the position at May 2013 and is published online at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-capacity-academic-year-2012-to-2013. Data on the number of school places for the past 12 months is not yet available as this information is currently being collected from local authorities and will be published in due course. The information is not available at constituency level. Between May 2012 and May 2013, the number of places in primary schools in Hampshire increased by 585 and the number of places in secondary schools increased by 176.

Secondary Education: Barnet

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the requirement for secondary school places amongst religious denominations in the London Borough of Barnet in the next five years.

Mr Edward Timpson: It is the responsibility of each local authority to balance the supply and demand for primary and secondary school places in their area and secure a place for every child of statutory age who wants one. The Department for Education collects information from local authorities on the number of school places (school capacity) in state-funded primary and secondary schools, (except special schools) and local authorities’ own pupil forecasts, as part of the annual School Capacity Collection. The most recent data available relates to the position at May 2013 and is published online at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-capacity-academic-year-2012-to-2013 Information on the requirement for secondary school places amongst religious denominations is not available. Local authorities are required to provide pupil forecasts at planning area level and broken down by year group, from Reception to Year 13. We do not collect forecasts of pupil numbers by religious denomination.We continue to provide capital funding to local authorities to assist them in providing additional school places, and we monitor the situation regularly to ensure there are sufficient places to meet local need. Barnet has been allocated a total of £68.7m for the period 2011-2015 and a further £14.8m for 2015-17 to help create the additional school places that will be needed by September 2017.

Secondary Education: Barnet

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the requirement for secondary school places in the London Borough of Barnet over the next five years.

Mr Edward Timpson: It is the responsibility of each local authority to balance the supply and demand for primary and secondary school places in their area and secure a place for every child of statutory age who wants one. The Department for Education collects information from local authorities on the number of school places in state-funded primary and secondary schools (except special schools) and local authorities’ own pupil forecasts, as part of the annual School Capacity Collection. The most recent data available relates to the position at May 2013 and is published online at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-capacity-academic-year-2012-to-2013 The published data shows that Barnet Local Authority is anticipating an increase in the number of secondary pupils over the next five years. Updated pupil forecast data is currently being collected from local authorities and will be published in due course. We continue to provide capital funding to local authorities to assist in providing additional school places, and we monitor the situation regularly to ensure there are sufficient places to meet local need. Barnet has been allocated a total of £68.7m for the period 2011-2015 and a further £14.8m for 2015-17 to help create the additional school places that will be needed by September 2017.

Teachers: Ethnic Groups

Ms Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many black and minority ethnic teachers there are in state (a) primary and (b) secondary schools; and if she will make a statement.

Mr David Laws: Figures from the School Workforce Census of November 2013 show there were 12,800 black and minority ethnic teachers in publicly funded primary schools and 18,600 in publicly funded secondary schools in England; a total of 31,400 teachers (an increase from 25,900 in November 2010). This represents 6% of primary school teachers and 9% of all secondary school teachers. 7% of all teachers in primary and secondary schools in England come from black and other ethnic minority groups.

Academies

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many academies provide boarding places for paying overseas students.

Mr Edward Timpson: There are 40 state funded schools providing boarding. Of these, 27 are academies, two are free schools, eight are maintained schools and three are FE colleges. There are approximately 5,000 state boarding places across these schools, academies and colleges.Where a school is an independent school that becomes an academy and there are children from non-European Economic Area countries already on-roll at that independent school we allow those pupils to continue their education at the same school after it has changed status to become an academy. These students are required to pay full-fees covering education and boarding.State-funded boarding schools cannot charge for education but charge full cost for boarding provision.Admission to state-funded boarding schools and academies is limited to children who are nationals of the UK and are eligible to hold a full UK passport, or those who are nationals of other European Economic Area countries or those who have the right of residence in the UK. Pupils that board will include British children and children from other European Economic Area countries who live anywhere overseas.In addition to the 40 state-funded schools and academies, providing boarding for mainstream pupils, where parents/carers pay fees, there are also special schools and academies that provide residential provision. There are 91 maintained special schools with residential provision and 15 academy special schools with residential provision. These schools are state funded and pupils do not pay fees.Data on the pupils enrolled at all maintained schools, academies (including free schools, studio schools and university technical colleges) and non‑maintained special schools, is collected via the school census. The school census captures a wide range of information including pupil headcount, special educational needs, eligibility for free school meals, first language, ethnicity and whether a pupil is a boarder. However, the school census does not collect data on pupil nationality.

Teachers: North West

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people without a recognised teaching qualification are employed as teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in (i) the north west and (ii) Warrington.

Mr David Laws: The following table provides the headcount number [1] and percentage of teachers without Qualified Teacher Status in publicly funded primary and secondary schools in (i) the North West and (ii) Warrington local authority in November 2013:   PRIMARY SCHOOLSNumber of Teachers without Qualified Teacher StatusTotal Number of Teachers% Teachers without Qualified Teacher Status Warrington Local Authority109901.2North West44031,4701.4ENGLAND5,660238,3002.4SECONDARY SCHOOLS   Warrington Local Authority409304.2North West84029,8302.8ENGLAND11,770227,9605.2   These figures are based on data from the School Workforce Census, published online at: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-2013  [1] Differs from the published national figure as the table does not include an estimate of unqualified teachers in those schools who did not make a School Workforce Census return.

Teachers: Retirement

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers retired (a) due to age, (b) due to health problems and (c) prematurely from publicly-funded schools in 2012-13.

Mr David Laws: The following table provides the number of teachers who were awarded age, ill-health and premature retirement benefits from the Teachers’ Pensions Scheme in 2012-13 and whose last recorded service was in a publicly funded school in England.   Age retirements9,970Ill health retirements440Premature retirements [1]8,190Total18,600   Source: Teachers’ Pensioner Statistical System.   Figures are provisional and are rounded to the nearest 10.  [1] Includes premature and actuarially reduced awards of pension benefits.

Teachers: Recruitment

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of how many additional teachers will be needed in each year to 2020.

Mr David Laws: The following table provides estimates for the number of teachers needed in each academic year from 2016/17 to 2020/21. This need for teachers will be met through a combination of new trainees, those returning to the profession and those entering the state-funded sector in England for the first time.2016/172017/182018/192019/202020/21Primary30,20029,20028,40027,20028,000Secondary23,50024,20024,90025,10024,500 Source: Teacher Supply Model   The Department for Education uses the Teacher Supply Model (TSM) to calculate the optimum number of Initial Teacher Training (ITT) places required to match the future supply of teachers to the estimated demand for qualified teachers within the state-funded sector in England. The National College of Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) use this information to inform their allocation of ITT places to teacher training providers.   The estimates for the future demand for teachers use the projected number of pupils in schools, assumed Pupil Teacher Ratios (PTRs) and our best estimates for the number of teachers required to implement the Department’s policy initiatives. The model also takes into account other flows within the existing stock of teachers such as those leaving the profession or retiring as well as those expected to return to teaching in the state-funded sector. The Department forecasts the need for teacher trainees one year in advance in line with the annual ITT allocation decisions. However, the TSM also forecasts teacher demand over ten years to provide an overview of long term trends.   Whilst the Department estimates future teacher demand, decision-making taken at school level determines the actual number of teachers required. As with any forecast, the uncertainty increases the further we look into the future.   The Department has published estimates of teacher demand in part 1 of the TSM, which is published online at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-supply-model

Teachers: Retirement

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time teachers retired from publicly-funded schools in 2012-13.

Mr David Laws: The following table provides the number of full and part-time teachers who were awarded retirement benefits from the Teachers’ Pensions Scheme in 2012-13 and whose last recorded service was in a publicly funded school in England.   Full-time9,250Part-time4,250Unknown [1]5,100Total18,600   Source: Teachers’ Pensioner Statistical System.   Figures are provisional and are rounded to the nearest 10.  [1] Type of last service is unknown as the teacher left service sometime before the pension award.

Teachers: Termination of Employment

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers are no longer in service in the English publicly-funded schools sector and did not receive a pension in 2012-13.

Mr David Laws: The Department for Education does not hold the specific data requested. However, the scheme administrator for the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) holds data on the number of individuals who have participated in the scheme in the past but are now deferred (have ceased to be in pensionable service but have not yet accessed benefits).   While the TPS data includes teachers whose last recorded service was in a publicly funded school in England, it also covers those whose last service was in Wales or in other establishments covered by the Scheme (for example further and higher education establishments). I have asked the TPS administrator to provide a breakdown of the data on deferred members that excludes those whose last service was in Wales, or in a non-publicly-funded school sector establishment, or where the member reached their normal pension age by 2012, and will place a copy of the final results in the library of the House.

Free Schools

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which free schools opened in September 2014; and how many children were enrolled at each such school at the time they opened.

Mr Edward Timpson: 77 new free schools opened in September 2014. The names of the schools are published online at:www.gov.uk/government/publications/free-schools-open-schools-and-successful-applications The Department for Education does not collect data on the numbers of pupils enrolled at each free school on the day it opens. However, every free school is closely monitored both before it opens and again during the autumn term to ensure it has a sufficient number of pupils to make it viable. As in previous years, the Department’s annual collection of pupil numbers will take place in January and we will publish the data for every school in the country in summer 2015.

Young Offender Institutions: Education

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours per week of education juvenile boys in Hindley and Cookham Wood young offender institutions had in each week in June 2014.

Mr David Laws: The information requested is as follows:  Young Offender’s InstitutionWeek 1w/c 02/06/2014(Hours per Learner)Week 2w/c 09/06/2014(Hours per Learner)Week 3w/c 16/06/2014(Hours per Learner)Week 4w/c 23/06/2014(Hours per Learner)Week 5w/c 30/06/2014 (one day in June)(Hours per Learner)HMYOI Hindley15.22 14.85 14.07 14.73 2.42 HMYOI Cookham Wood8.29 8.30 9.87 11.28 2.93   The contracted number of hours per learner per (full) week is 15. The variation in the hours received results from legitimate absences, such as attending court, attending appointments and illness, and occasional provider cancellations (which we reconcile against for funding). The Education Funding Agency works closely with the providers, the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and the Youth Justice Board to resolve issues affecting the delivery of education and training. The shortfall in hours per learner shown at HMYOI Cookham Wood is due to cancellations by the prison, rather than by the education provider.

Digital Technology: Education

Mr David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to increase digital engagement by local education authorities.

Mr David Laws: The development and use of digital media by local authorities is a matter for local decision by them.

Ministry of Justice

Prison Service

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what sentences were handed down to each employee of the Prison Service found guilty of criminal activity in the workplace in 2013.

Andrew Selous: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) does not hold records of employees charged with all types of criminal activity.Whilst the vast majority of its staff are honest and hard working, NOMS is committed to detecting, deterring and disrupting all corrupt behaviour by individuals working in prisons. A dedicated NOMS Corruption Prevention Unit was set up to ensure staff corruption is identified and tackled. As part of this work NOMS has compiled a central record of staff convicted of criminal offences which meet the NOMS definition of corruption. The NOMS definition is: Corruption occurs when a person in a position of authority or trust abuses their position for their or another person’s benefit or gain. This would include the misuse of their role in order to plan or commit a criminal act, or a deliberate failure to act to prevent criminal behaviour. The central record does not therefore include all types of criminality as not all offences meet the definition. There were 23 convictions for corruption-related offences during 2013. A breakdown of the different sentences is provided below. Sentences4 years 6 months imprisonment4 years imprisonment3 years imprisonment1 year 9 months imprisonment1 year 4 months imprisonment1 year 1 month imprisonment1 year imprisonment9 months imprisonment8 months imprisonment6 months imprisonment4 months imprisonment10 months imprisonment12 month custodial sentence suspended for 2 years.11 months custodial sentence suspended for a year9 months custodial sentence suspended for 12 months, 200 hours community service8 months custodial sentence suspended for 2 years and a 6 month residency order4 months custodial sentence suspended for 2 years4 months custodial sentence suspended for 2 years, 100 hours unpaid work12 months Community Order, 150 hours unpaid work100 hours community service and 12 months probationCommunity Order. Ordered to pay £85 costs and £60 to complainants The total number of convictions by year for corruption-related offences is shown in the table below. The number of convictions has remained broadly constant over the last five years.201323201225201121201018200921

Domestic Violence: Legal Aid Scheme

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department spends each year on legal aid to support women suffering from domestic abuse.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Prior to 2013, when people applied for legal aid they were not asked to declare whether domestic violence had occurred. Since 2013, applications for legal aid do not routinely request this information as it is not required. Therefore the data requested is not available. People seeking protective injunctions, like restraining orders, remain eligible for legal aid. Legal aid also remains available in private family cases that involve domestic violence. We have listened closely to any concerns about how the system has been operating, and made changes in response, such as making it easier to prove abuse and so get legal aid.

Stalking

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what further training is planned for (a) the probation service, (b) magistrates and (c) judges on the new stalking laws.

Mr Shailesh Vara: (a) The National Probation Service is a new organisation that has only been in existence since June 2014. The Professional Skills Training team are in the process of putting together the national training plan and stalking awareness will be part of this. (b) & (c) The responsibility for judicial training for courts judiciary lies with the Lord Chief Justice as head of the judiciary and is exercised through the Judicial College. Magistrates sit with legal advisers in court who advise them on the law. The new stalking laws came from the amendments made to the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 by the Protection of Freedom Act 2012. The Judicial College provides regular updates to judges and legal advisers on any changes to the law via a jurisdictional electronic internal newsletter, and did so in respect of these provisions in June 2012. The Home Office also issued a circular [Ref: 018/2012] on the new provisions in October 2012. This was issued to the Association Of Chief Police Officers (in England And Wales And Northern Ireland), Association Of Magisterial Officers, Central Council Of Magistrates Courts, Justices Clerks Society, Law Society, Magistrates Association, Ministry of Justice, and the Judicial College. In addition the Justices Clerks Society also issued a circular to their members outlining the new provisions in December 2012. The Judicial College regularly assesses judicial training needs and how to meet them. Ultimately, judges use the law to make independent decisions based on the evidence and information provided to them in court.

Pornography: Internet

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with internet service providers about bringing forward legislative proposals to tackle revenge porn websites.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Government is creating, in the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill, a new criminal offence which targets those who disclose private sexual photographs and films without consent and with intent to cause distress.The Internet Services Providers Association took part in an online discussion hosted by the Ministry of Justice during its development. Mike Penning MP, Minister of State at the Ministry of Justice, has also discussed the issue of revenge porn with internet service providers during discussions of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety, of which he is one of the joint chairs.

Stalking

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many magistrates in England and Wales have been given training on the new laws on stalking to date.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The responsibility for the training of Magistrates lies with the Lord Chief Justice as head of the judiciary and is exercised through the Judicial College. Magistrates sit with legal advisers in court who advise them on the law. The Judicial College is not responsible for teaching and updating Legal Advisers on the law. However, reference to any relevant law will be made at training events for the topics being covered. The Judicial College provides regular updates to Legal Advisers on any changes to the law via a jurisdictional electronic internal newsletter and did so in respect of these provisions in June 2012. In addition, the Home Office also issued a circular [Ref: 018/2012] on the new provisions in October 2012, and the Justices Clerks Society issued a circular to their members outlining the new provisions in December 2012. The Judicial College regularly assesses judicial training needs and how to meet them. Ultimately, magistrates use the law to make independent decisions based on the evidence and information provided to them in court.

Stalking

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many judges in England and Wales have been given training on the new laws on stalking to date.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The responsibility for the training of judges lies with the Lord Chief Justice as head of the judiciary and is exercised through the Judicial College. The Judicial College is not responsible for teaching and updating judges on the law; judges are professional lawyers and are expected to keep themselves up to date. However, reference to any relevant law will be made at training events for the topics covered. The Judicial College provides regular updates to judges on any changes to the law via a jurisdictional electronic internal newsletter and did so in respect of these provisions in June 2012. The Judicial College regularly assesses judicial training needs and how to meet them. Ultimately, judges use the law to make independent decisions based on the evidence and information provided to them in court.

Stalking

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been convicted under the provisions of section 4a of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997; and how many such people received a custodial sentence.

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been convicted under the provisions of section 2A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997; and how many such people received a custodial sentence.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The stalking offences under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, sections 2A (stalking) and 4A (stalking involving fear of violence or serious alarm or distress), have been available from 25 November 2012. The section 2A offence has a maximum penalty of six months’ imprisonment and/or a fine, and the section 4A offence has a maximum penalty of 5 years’ imprisonment. The number of people convicted under sections 2A and 4A in 2012 and 2013 and those receiving custodial sentence can be viewed at the table below.Defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty and sentenced to immediate custody at all courts of offences under Sections 2A and 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, England and Wales, 2012 to 20131,2,3Section of ActOutcome20122013Section 2A4Proceeded against8293 Found guilty2196 Sentenced2192 Of which:   Immediate custody035 Of which:   up to 12 months035 12 to 24 months00 over 24 months00Section 4A5Proceeded against0154 Found guilty053 Sentenced042 Of which:   Immediate custody014 Of which:   up to 12 months010 12 to 24 months04 over 24 months001 The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. 2 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 3 The number of offenders sentenced can differ from those found guilty as it may be the case that a defendant found guilty in a particular year, and committed for sentence at the Crown Court, may be sentenced in the following year. 4 Pursue course of conduct in breach of S.1(1) of the Act which amounts to stalking. 5 Stalking involving fear of violence or serious alarm and distress. Note: Offences introduced 25 November 2012. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice

Private Finance Initiative

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many private finance initiative projects his Department contracted for in each year from 1997 to 2010.

Simon Hughes: The data requested on PFI projects is publically available via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-finance-initiative-projects-2013-summary-data. The data accessed via this link can be filtered by procuring authority and then by date of financial close in order to determine how many PFI projects were contracted by a Department in a specific year. This information is provided by Departments and published by the Treasury each year. The current data is as at 31 March 2013 but will be updated with data as at 31 March 2014 shortly.

Prisons: Publications

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many books his Department received from supporters of the Books for Prisoners campaign.

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which prisons have received copies of the books that supporters of the Books for Prisoners campaign have sent to his Department.

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department has taken to deal with the books sent to it by supporters of the Books for Prisoners campaign.

Andrew Selous: Several dozen donated books have been passed to the library at HMP Pentonville. Officials are arranging for a further batch of donated books (around 120, as of the end of October 2014) to be sent to HMP East Sutton Park. This is on an exceptional basis, and all of the books are searched before being made available to the library service. The books will be available for any prisoner at the two establishments to borrow.

Prisons: Wales

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, in which prisons were women who (a) gave a North Wales address and (b) were sentenced by a North Wales court were held in each year since 2010.

Simon Hughes: The following table shows the number of female prisoners who have a reported home address in North Wales, in each September since 2010.Table showing the Number and Location of Female Prisoners who have a Reported Home Address in North Wales, in each September since 2010.Prison20102011201220132014Askham Grange 11 2Bronzefield1Downview Drake Hall31411East Sutton Park2Eastwood Park Foston Hall 11 2Low Newton3Morton Hall1New Hall1 111Peterborough (Female)11   Styal5413129Total118201421  The following table shows the number and location of female prisoners sentenced at a court in North Wales, in each September since 2010. Table Showing the Number and location of Female Prisoners Sentenced at a Court in North Wales, in each September since 2010.Prison20102011201220132014Askham Grange 11 4Bronzefield   12Downview1Drake Hall62222East Sutton Park 1212Eastwood Park   1 Foston Hall 1112Low Newton 1 14Morton Hall2New Hall31122Peterborough (Female)11 11Styal1612222513Total2920293532  In January 2013, the Justice Secretary commissioned a review of the Women’s Custodial Estate. The review was published on 25 October 2013 and recommended that the women’s prison estate be reconfigured to make sure that women are held closer to home with access to the right interventions and with opportunities for meaningful resettlement. This includes women from Wales. No address has been recorded and no court information is available for around 3% of all offenders, and therefore these figures are excluded from the answer. Information on offenders' addresses is provided by them on reception in prison and recorded on a central IT system. Reported addresses can include a home address, an address to which offenders intend to return on discharge or the address of their next of kin. Note: North Wales is defined here as the area covered by North Wales Police. Those sentenced at a North Wales court may also have a reported home address in North Wales and in this case would appear in both tables.

Crown Courts: Staff

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many witness care staff were employed at each Crown court in each year since 2010.

Mike Penning: The Ministry of Justice provides grant funding to Victim Support to help witnesses at both the Crown Court and magistrates’ courts in England and Wales. The service provides information, emotional and practical support to witnesses who are attending court to give evidence. This is a vital part of our commitment to victims and witnesses. The Ministry of Justice does not routinely collect data on the number of staff deployed to each court by Victim Support. Victim Support has provided the following breakdown of staff deployed at each Crown Court location for each year since 2010 and includes Victim Support’s assessment of their Full Time Equivalent apportionment. Some staff are deployed full-time at the Crown Court, while others provide support at Crown Court alongside some apportionment of their time for other local witness and victim services. Approximately 200,000 witnesses received support from the court-based Witness Service in 2013-14. The number of Victim Support staff deployed to each court has remained broadly consistent over the last four years. In addition to the court-based Witness Service, victims and witnesses also receive support from Witness Care Units (jointly staffed by the police and the Crown Prosecution Service). Witness Care Units staff are not specifically employed at Crown Court locations but provide support and information for victims and witnesses through the criminal justice system.  Annex ACrown Court NameStaff numbers 2010Staff numbers 2011Staff numbers 2012Staff numbers 2013Staff numbers 2014Birmingham CC432.52.52.5Caernarfon CC & Dolgellau CC1.251.251.251.251.25Cardiff CC11.51.51.251.25Carmarthen Combined Court0.50.50.50.50.5Coventry CC32111Derby Combined Courts11111Hereford CC110.50.50.5Leamington CC1111.251.25Leicester CC11111Lincoln CC11111Merthyr CC11111Mold CC0.750.750.750.750.75Newport CC0.750.750.750.750.75Northampton CC11111Nottingham CC1.51.251.251.51.5Shrewsbury CC110.50.50.5Stafford CC11111Stoke-on-Trent Combined Court110.80.80.8Swansea CC11.251.251.251.25Wolverhampton CC32111Worcester CC11111Blackfriars CC11111Central CC22222Croydon CC11111Harrow CC11111Inner London CC21111Isleworth CC11111Kingston CC11111Snaresbrook CC22222Southwark CC11111Wood Green CC11111Woolwich CC11111Bolton Combined Court21.41.41.41.4Bradford CC1.51.51.51.41.4Burnley CC0.530.530.530.530.53Carlisle CC11111Chester CC11111Doncaster CC0.750.750.750.750.75Durham CC32222Grimsby CC11112Hull CC11112Leeds CC1.91.91.51.51.5Liverpool CC3.62.452.452.452.4Minshull St CC2.41.81.81.81.8Newcastle CC22222Preston CC22221.75Sheffield CC22222Teesside CC22222Manchester Crown Square2.41.81.81.81.8Warrington CC11111York CC11112Lancaster CC - SDM also ran Lancaster MCWS0.480.480.480.480.48Amersham CC0.590.590.590.590.45Aylesbury CC0.480.590.590.590.45Basildon CC11111Bournemouth CC0.70.70.70.70.7Bristol CC1.51.51.51.51Cambridge CC0.750.750.50.40.4Canterbury CC11111Chelmsford CC10.8111Chichester Combined Court0.530.420.40.40.5Dorchester Crown0.50.50.50.50.5Exeter CC11111Gloucester CC0.670.670.670.80.8IOW Combined Courts110.50.50.5Ipswich CC11111Lewes and Hove Combined Courts2.52.2222Luton CC0.50.50.511Maidstone CC11111Norwich CC11111Oxford Combined Court Centre1.21.21.21.21.2Peterborough CC0.440.440.440.50.5Plymouth CC0.80.80.80.80.8Portsmouth CC1.51.51.522Reading CC1.61.61.661.661.66Salisbury Combined Court0.210.240.240.240.24Southampton CC2.32.32.32.31.3St Albans CC110.80.80.8Swindon Combined Court0.50.50.50.50.5Taunton CC1.51.51.51.52Truro CC0.80.80.80.80.8Winchester CC1.61.61.61.61.6Southend Combined Court11110.6Guildford CC11111Knutsford CC0.250.250*0*0*[1][1] Due to reduced workload across Cheshire, this two-courtroom venue has not been used for hearings since May 2010

Probation

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he sought the approval of the European Commission for pension proposals in the Transforming Rehabilitation reforms.

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on what grounds his Department's Transforming Rehabilitation reforms provide a guarantee to the administering authority of the Local Government Pension Scheme in respect of past service liabilities that will become the responsibility of community rehabilitation companies, and future accrual of benefits for transferring staff in the event of a failure by those companies to pay those contributions or amounts.

Andrew Selous: Under the National Agreement on Staff Transfer, all probation employees who transferred to the new probation structures on 1 June 2014 retained their membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme. This applied to probation employees in both Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) and the National Probation Service (NPS). On 2 July 2014, a Written Ministerial statement was laid before the House, setting out the Secretary of State's guarantee that the Department will meet any contributions due to the Local Government Pension Scheme in relation to probation employees who have transferred to the CRCs whilst in Government ownership in the event of CRC insolvency. This facilitated continued pension provision under the Local Government Pension Scheme for these probation employees. The Written Ministerial statement can be accessed via: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmhansrd/cm140702/wmstext/140702m0001.htm The Ministry of Justice has engaged as appropriate with the European Commission and other relevant parties regarding the pension proposals for probation employees.

Open Prisons

Mr Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners are serving custodial sentences in open prisons, broken down by the most serious offence for which they were imprisoned, in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Andrew Selous: The below table provides the number of prisoners serving both determinate and indeterminate sentences currently residing in open prisons, by offence group. Prisoners serving a custodial sentence in open prisons by offence group, as at 30 September 2014, England and Wales30-Sep-14Violence against the person1,131Sexual offences285Robbery422Burglary289Theft and handling113Fraud and forgery253Drug offences1,153Motoring offences33Other offences467Offence not recorded1All4,147Note:  This information does not include: Category D prisoners held in non predominant function open prisons Category D prisoners held in open sites that are part of multi-site establishments performing different functions Category D prisoners held in small (under 50 place) open units at predominant function closed prisons  These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. There are two means by which indeterminate sentenced prisoners (ISPs – both those serving life and indeterminate sentences for public protection (IPPs)) – are considered for transfer to open conditions. The principal means is by way of a positive recommendation from the independent Parole Board, which falls to officials either to accept or reject on behalf of the Secretary of State, under agreed delegated authority and in accordance with policy agreed by the Secretary of State. However, ISPs may also apply to progress to open conditions without a positive recommendation from the Parole Board being sought, where they can show exceptional progress in reducing their risk. Each application is determined on its merits under agreed delegated authority by officials in the Offender Management and Public Protection Group in the Ministry of Justice. Determinate sentenced prisoners are assessed for their suitability for open conditions by experienced prison staff with relevant input from offender managers and other professionals within the prison. The assessment will consider the extent to which the prisoner has reduced identified risks and any intelligence or other information that provides evidence of the prisoner’s trustworthiness for conditions of very low security. Determinate sentence prisoners should not generally be moved to open prison if they have more than two years to serve to their earliest release date, unless assessment of a prisoner’s individual risks and needs support earlier categorisation to open conditions. Such cases must have the reasons for their categorisation fully documented and confirmed in writing by the Governing Governor. All those located in open conditions have been rigorously risk assessed and their risks have been deemed manageable in open conditions. The public have understandable concerns about the failure of a small minority of prisoners to return from temporary release from open prison. Keeping the public safe is our priority and we will not allow the actions of these offenders to undermine public confidence in the prison system. The number of temporary release failures remains very low; less that one failure in every 1,000 temporary releases and about five in every 100,000 temporary releases involving alleged offending, but we take each and every incident seriously. The Government has already ordered immediate changes to tighten up the system as a matter of urgency. Prisoners are now no longer eligible for transfer to open conditions if they have previously absconded from open prisons, or if they have failed to return or reoffended whilst released on temporary licence, unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Prisons: Security

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much has been paid in forfeiture because of the Prison Service's use of barbed and razor wire in each of the last four years.

Andrew Selous: No fines have been paid to the EU or any other organisation because of HM Prison Service’s use of barbed and razor wire in the last four years. Furthermore, there have been no infraction proceedings at the European Court of Justice and no findings against the UK in the European Court of Human Rights about this issue in that time period. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) provides razor wire and barbed wire as part of construction and refurbishment projects on its custodial estate. It is deployed most often at the top of perimeter fences and fences which form partitions within the grounds of prisons. It forms one of a number of security measures which prevent prisoners scaling fences either to breach the perimeter or to enter hazardous and prohibited areas of a prison The MoJ works with the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) to ensure that its proposed use would not present a health or safety hazard to prisoners, members of NOMS staff, visitors to a prison or members of the public.

Prisons: Locks and Keys

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many incidents of lost keys have required the relocking of prisons since May 2010; and at what cost.

Andrew Selous: Security is paramount within prisons and it is important that the risk of any potential key compromise is addressed as quickly as possible in order to protect the public. When a key/lock incident is reported an immediate investigation is undertaken to assess the risk and unless it is clear that security has not been compromised, then locking mechanisms and keys will be replaced and/or other necessary remedial action will be taken. A range of procedural and physical measures are used to assist in the secure management of keys in prisons. These increasingly include electronic and biometric systems. The information requested is provided below. Table 1 - costs of partial/full relocking of prisons due to loss of keys from May 2010 - 29 October 2014: 14/05/2010 Swaleside £95,43021/06/2010 Glen Parva £208,32904/11/2010 Warren Hill £101,30120/12/2010 Ashwell £15,57624/10/2011 Birmingham £499,000 (Paid for by G4S)09/01/2012 Maidstone £5,84728/02/2014 Lindholme £40,28608/05/2014 Haverigg £32,88221/07/2014 Highpoint £14, 933 Table 2 – number of reported incidents of lost keys from April 2010 – 31 March 2014: 2010/11 - 622011/12 - 672012/13 – 732013/14 – 35 (* see note below) * Note: a change in the reporting requirements for key/lock incidents from April 2013 has resulted in a lower “lost keys” figure for 2013/14 in comparison to the three previous years. In addition to keys “lost”, the figures for the three previous years include keys inadvertently taken out of prisons and subsequently returned, but the figure for 2013/14 includes only keys lost, not those inadvertently taken out and returned. The figures quoted have been drawn from live administrative databases and may subsequently be amended. Due care is taken during processing and analysis, but the detail is subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.

Andrew Selous: Security is paramount within prisons and it is important that the risk of any potential key compromise is addressed as quickly as possible in order to protect the public. When a key/lock incident is reported an immediate investigation is undertaken to assess the risk and unless it is clear that security has not been compromised, then locking mechanisms and keys will be replaced and/or other necessary remedial action will be taken. A range of procedural and physical measures are used to assist in the secure management of keys in prisons. These increasingly include electronic and biometric systems. The information requested is provided below. Table 1 - costs of partial/full relocking of prisons due to loss of keys from May 2010 - 29 October 2014: 14/05/2010 Swaleside £95,43021/06/2010 Glen Parva £208,32904/11/2010 Warren Hill £101,30120/12/2010 Ashwell £15,57624/10/2011 Birmingham £499,000 (Paid for by G4S)09/01/2012 Maidstone £5,84728/02/2014 Lindholme £40,28608/05/2014 Haverigg £32,88221/07/2014 Highpoint £14, 933 Table 2 – number of reported incidents of lost keys from April 2010 – 31 March 2014: 2010/11 - 622011/12 - 672012/13 – 732013/14 – 35 (* see note below) * Note: a change in the reporting requirements for key/lock incidents from April 2013 has resulted in a lower “lost keys” figure for 2013/14 in comparison to the three previous years. In addition to keys “lost”, the figures for the three previous years include keys inadvertently taken out of prisons and subsequently returned, but the figure for 2013/14 includes only keys lost, not those inadvertently taken out and returned. The figures quoted have been drawn from live administrative databases and may subsequently be amended. Due care is taken during processing and analysis, but the detail is subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.

Prisons: Locks and Keys

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many incidents of lost keys there have been in prisons in each year since May 2010.

Andrew Selous: Security is paramount within prisons and it is important that the risk of any potential key compromise is addressed as quickly as possible in order to protect the public. When a key/lock incident is reported an immediate investigation is undertaken to assess the risk and unless it is clear that security has not been compromised, then locking mechanisms and keys will be replaced and/or other necessary remedial action will be taken. A range of procedural and physical measures are used to assist in the secure management of keys in prisons. These increasingly include electronic and biometric systems. The information requested is provided below. Table 1 - costs of partial/full relocking of prisons due to loss of keys from May 2010 - 29 October 2014: 14/05/2010 Swaleside £95,43021/06/2010 Glen Parva £208,32904/11/2010 Warren Hill £101,30120/12/2010 Ashwell £15,57624/10/2011 Birmingham £499,000 (Paid for by G4S)09/01/2012 Maidstone £5,84728/02/2014 Lindholme £40,28608/05/2014 Haverigg £32,88221/07/2014 Highpoint £14, 933 Table 2 – number of reported incidents of lost keys from April 2010 – 31 March 2014: 2010/11 - 622011/12 - 672012/13 – 732013/14 – 35 (* see note below) * Note: a change in the reporting requirements for key/lock incidents from April 2013 has resulted in a lower “lost keys” figure for 2013/14 in comparison to the three previous years. In addition to keys “lost”, the figures for the three previous years include keys inadvertently taken out of prisons and subsequently returned, but the figure for 2013/14 includes only keys lost, not those inadvertently taken out and returned. The figures quoted have been drawn from live administrative databases and may subsequently be amended. Due care is taken during processing and analysis, but the detail is subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.

Andrew Selous: Security is paramount within prisons and it is important that the risk of any potential key compromise is addressed as quickly as possible in order to protect the public. When a key/lock incident is reported an immediate investigation is undertaken to assess the risk and unless it is clear that security has not been compromised, then locking mechanisms and keys will be replaced and/or other necessary remedial action will be taken. A range of procedural and physical measures are used to assist in the secure management of keys in prisons. These increasingly include electronic and biometric systems. The information requested is provided below. Table 1 - costs of partial/full relocking of prisons due to loss of keys from May 2010 - 29 October 2014: 14/05/2010 Swaleside £95,43021/06/2010 Glen Parva £208,32904/11/2010 Warren Hill £101,30120/12/2010 Ashwell £15,57624/10/2011 Birmingham £499,000 (Paid for by G4S)09/01/2012 Maidstone £5,84728/02/2014 Lindholme £40,28608/05/2014 Haverigg £32,88221/07/2014 Highpoint £14, 933 Table 2 – number of reported incidents of lost keys from April 2010 – 31 March 2014: 2010/11 - 622011/12 - 672012/13 – 732013/14 – 35 (* see note below) * Note: a change in the reporting requirements for key/lock incidents from April 2013 has resulted in a lower “lost keys” figure for 2013/14 in comparison to the three previous years. In addition to keys “lost”, the figures for the three previous years include keys inadvertently taken out of prisons and subsequently returned, but the figure for 2013/14 includes only keys lost, not those inadvertently taken out and returned. The figures quoted have been drawn from live administrative databases and may subsequently be amended. Due care is taken during processing and analysis, but the detail is subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2014 to Question 200960, when he plans to write to the hon. Member for Coventry South to provide the information he omitted to provide in that Answer.

Andrew Selous: I wrote to the Honourable Member on 3 November with the information he requested in his Question 200960, and apologising for the delay in writing to him.

Prime Minister

European Union

Mr Pat McFadden: To ask the Prime Minister, what political content has been removed from the version of his January 2013 speech on the future of the European Union hosted on the gov.uk website.

Mr Pat McFadden: To ask the Prime Minister, if he will place in the Library a full copy of the Prime Minister's January 2013 speech on the future of the European Union in the Library.

Mr David Cameron: The content of political material is not a matter for Government.Copies of my official speeches are available on the gov.uk website.

UK Membership of EU

Dr William McCrea: To ask the Prime Minister, if he will bring forward proposals to enable an early date for the referendum on membership of the EU.

Mr David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Stone (Mr Cash) at Prime Ministers Questions on 29 October 2014, Official Report, column 301.

Ministry of Defence

Air Space

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if two non-cooperating aircraft operating in the same Class G airspace at the same time can be regarded as a Risk to Life.

Mr Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Radioactive Materials

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many nuclear safety events there were at HMNB Clyde and RNAD Coulport, by category, in each of the last six years.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Radioactive Materials

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many nuclear safety events there were at HMNB Clyde and RNAD Coulport involving (a) Class A and (b) Class B incidents involving (i) nuclear propulsion and (ii) nuclear weapons; and what the details were of each such incident.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Nuclear Weapons

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps have been taken by the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies to implement recommendations arising from the 2011 Exercise Senator on nuclear accident emergencies.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) is convened only during an emergency, to coordinate and conduct peer reviews of scientific and technical advice in order to inform decision-making at the cross Government, national level.National level recommendations and lessons identified from Ministry of Defence nuclear accident exercises such as SENATOR 2011, including any related to the SAGE, are drawn up through the Department of Energy and Climate Change-led Nuclear Emergency Planning and Response Programme.

Nuclear Weapons

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how his Department has implemented the recommendations from Exercise Senator in 2011 on nuclear accident emergencies.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator's (DNSR) assessment concluded that Exercise Senator 2011 achieved its stated objectives.The DNSR assessment report contains five findings, three of which have been formally closed out. Work is in hand to address the remaining two findings.

Nuclear Weapons

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many nuclear weapons emergency exercises his Department's defence nuclear emergencies organisation has conducted since May 2010; and if he will publish on his Department's website the reports of such exercises.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Defence Cultural Specialist Unit

Rory Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many weeks of cultural and historical training the average graduate of the Defence Cultural Specialist Unit course receives in addition to their language training.

Michael Fallon: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Armed Forces: Languages

Rory Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people in the armed forces are in receipt of a Level (a) 3 and (b) 4 language allowance in Pashto.

Michael Fallon: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Armed Forces: Languages

Rory Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people in the armed forces are in receipt of a Level (a) 3 and (b) 4 language allowance.

Michael Fallon: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Armed Forces: Languages

Rory Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people in the armed forces are in receipt of a Level (a) 3 and (b) 4 language allowance in Dari.

Michael Fallon: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Armed Forces: Languages

Rory Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people in the armed forces are in receipt of a Level (a) 3 and (b) 4 language allowance in Arabic.

Michael Fallon: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Armed Forces: Life Insurance

Rory Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether regular service personnel who take out the standard Pax Policy life insurance are covered in the event of death in non-war fighting operations.

Michael Fallon: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Defence Cultural Specialist Unit

Rory Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many members of the armed forces have spent more than six months studying with the Defence Cultural Specialist Unit; and how many are studying now.

Michael Fallon: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Army: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will assess the merits of Army Technical Operations personnel in Northern Ireland being based closer to locations where the majority of explosive devices have been found in the last five years.

Mr Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Work and Pensions

Private Finance Initiative

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many private finance initiative projects his Department contracted for in each year from 1997 to 2010.

Steve Webb: The information requested is published on the link below. The data can be filtered by procuring authority and then by date of financial close in order to determine how many PFI projects were contracted by Department in a specific year.   · https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-finance-initiative-projects-2013-summary-data.

Employment: Males

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 1 September 2014 to Question 206874, if his Department will make an assessment of the effectiveness of Men's Sheds movement on (a) increasing confidence and volunteering, (b) reducing isolation and mental ill health and (c) improving job readiness for the unemployed.

Esther McVey: The “Men’s Sheds movement”, which began in Australia, aims to improve the health and wellbeing of men through providing inclusive environments where members can share tools, resources, skills and engage in personal and community projects. The Department has no plans to carry out any formal assessment of the effectiveness of the Men’s Sheds movement.

Heating

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support his Department makes available to ensure that people with (a) Parkinson's and (b) other progressive conditions are able to adequetely heat their home; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: People with Parkinson’s and other progressive conditions receive general financial provision towards costs, including heating, through Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Additional help is available to those entitled to income-related benefits - such as Employment and Support Allowance - through the support component and additional disability premiums. Help is also available through Cold Weather Payments, and this winter, over 2 million low income households will receive a bill rebate through the Warm Home Discount Scheme. Winter Fuel Payments also provide assurance to older people, who may suffer the worst impacts of a progressive condition, so that they can keep warm during the winter months.

Universal Credit: Barrow in Furness

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Barrow and Furness constituency he expects to have transferred to universal credit by 1 January 2015.

Mr Mark Harper: I refer the hon. member to the Written Ministerial Statement made by my Rt. Hon. Friend, Iain Duncan Smith on of Monday 13th October 2014. http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-vote-office/2014-October/13th%20October/17.DWP-welfare-reform.pdf.  DWP are not setting targets for numbers in receipt of Universal Credit at various points in time. Final numbers will vary according to a number of factors such as the economic circumstances over time and behavioural change of claimants.

Access to Work Programme

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people whose primary medical condition was classified as difficulty in hearing received an award for (a) communication support at interview, (b) special aids and equipment and (c) a support worker in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average value of Access to Work awards provided to people whose primary medical condition was classified as difficulty in hearing for (a) communication support at interview, (b) special aids and equipment and (c)  a support worker in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mr Mark Harper: The information requested is in the tables below: Number of awards each financial year for people whose primary medical condition was classified as difficulty in hearingElement type2009/102010/112011/122012/132013/14Communication Support at Interview270220210270250Special Aids and Equipment1,120780410520610Support Worker3,9104,0204,0004,2304,470 Mean average spend each financial year for people whose primary medical condition was classified as difficulty in hearingElement type2009/102010/112011/122012/132013/14Communication Support at Interview£200£200£200£300£200Special Aids and Equipment£1,000£1,300£1,300£1,000£1,200Support Worker£6,600£7,300£7,900£7,600£7,200 Source: Access to Work database (DiSC3) Notes: 1. Award volumes are rounded to the nearest 10. Average amounts are rounded to the nearest £100. 2. The spend figures quoted in this response are from the Access to Work computer system (DiSC3), which we generally use for requests of detailed disaggregating (regions, disabilities etc) of spend such as this, rather than total spend. For total spend we normally use an accounting system which provides precise total amounts of actual spend in a year. The accounting system cannot produce the same detailed disaggregating of spend as the Access to Work computer system.

Occupational Pensions

Mr Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people who had no prior pension savings have been enrolled under automatic enrolment into workplace pension schemes.

Steve Webb: The information requested is not available. The latest information published by The Pensions Regulator shows that over 4.7 million eligible jobholders have been automatically enrolled into a workplace pension. It is not possible to identify how many of these jobholders had no prior pension savings.

Access to Work Programme

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people whose primary medical condition was classified as difficulty in hearing sought reconsideration of their case from (a) a regional Access to Work manager, (b) a senior operational manager, (c) a national AtW delivery manager, (d) a customer services director responsible for AtW and (e) an independent case examiner in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mr Mark Harper: This data was not historically recorded and we are therefore unable to provide the information that you have requested. The Access to Work reconsideration process has now changed but guidance is yet to be updated. We no longer have 5 stages of reconsideration.

Occupational Pensions

Mr Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of people enrolled under automatic workplace pension schemes have chosen to opt out after (a) six, (b) nine and (c) 12 months.

Steve Webb: The information requested is not available. Findings from qualitative research with large employers show the overall opt out rate was around 9 per cent. Most individual employers had an opt out rate between 5 and 15 per cent. Opt out is only possible within the opt out window which is one month after being automatically enrolled.

Access to Work Programme

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many users of the Access to Work scheme with each primary medical condition received reductions to their support package after a review of their support in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mr Mark Harper: Access to Work carries out reviews periodically for all customers, the frequency of these varies from case to case. This information is not recorded and we are therefore unable to provide the data that you have requested.

Access to Work Programme: Suffolk

Mr David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many disabled people in (a) Bury St Edmunds constituency and (b) Suffolk have received new support from the Access to Work scheme to participate in internships, traineeships and work placements since September 2010.

Mr Mark Harper: Access to Work does not have an historic means of reporting on DWP programme participant volumes nor do we have a means of reporting DWP programme participant volumes for specific constituencies, or geographical districts. Cases are recorded by disability type, not by the categories specific to your request.

Unemployment Benefits: East of England

Mr David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have made at least one claim for out-of-work benefits in (a) Bury St. Edmunds constituency, (b) Suffolk and (c) the East of England since 2010.

Esther McVey: The information requested is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate costs.

Employment Services: Suffolk

Mr David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps are being taken in (a) Bury St Edmunds constituency and (b) Suffolk to support older jobseekers in using online recruitment processes.

Esther McVey: Bury St Edmunds Jobcentre and all Suffolk Jobcentres provide public computers with internet access for jobseekers to use. Staff are available to offer individual coaching and to support jobseekers completing online applications. Several partner organisations including New Careers Service and F1 Training support jobseekers through online job applications and up skill them to be self-sufficient in online recruitment processes. FiftyON East and TCHC also offer this support specifically for older jobseekers.

Disability Living Allowance: Children

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the (a) maximum and (b) average length of time was for processing a new claim for disability living allowance for children in (i) 2009 and (ii) 2014 to date.

Mr Mark Harper: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Access to Work Programme: East of England

Mr David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many disabled people are using Access to Work support for a (a) work trial, (b) work experience opportunity under the Youth Contract, (c) supported internship, (d) traineeship and (e) pre-employment training work placement in (i) Bury St Edmunds constituency, (ii) Suffolk and (iii) the East of England.

Mr Mark Harper: Access to Work does not have a means of reporting DWP programme volumes for specific constituencies, or geographical districts. Cases are recorded by disability type, not by the categories specific to your request.

Employment and Support Allowance

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the level of income disregard threshold for employment and support allowance will be reviewed prior to the Autumn Statement 2014.

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 24 June 2014 to question 201294, for what reason it was decided not to change the income disregard threshold for employment and support allowance; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Mark Harper: The Government considers a disregard of occupational/personal pension income of £85.00 a week before contributory Employment and Support Allowance is reduced to be reasonable. This is being currently reviewed as part of the annual benefits uprating exercise.

Driving: Licensing

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, who the decision maker is in the case of a DLA review; and what the assessment process is.

Mr Mark Harper: A Case Manager, the term for a DWP DLA decision maker, will conduct the review. In conducting the review, DLA Case Managers are instructed, through training and guidance, to ensure they have all the necessary information before making their decision. They will consider the evidence held and/or received, sending out for more evidence as appropriate, and only then make their decision.

Older Workers

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take further steps to provide support to people who wish to work beyond pension age.

Steve Webb: To help older people to stay in employment up to and beyond state pension age, the Government has abolished the default retirement age and extended the right to request flexible working. People over State Pension age continue to be exempt from paying employee National Insurance Contributions on any employment earnings. This Government has also given people more freedom in how they draw their pension pots to smooth the transition to retirement and increasing the options for combining employment and pension income. And from later this year Fit for Work will provide occupational health assessment and general advice for employees, employers and GPs to help individuals with a health condition to stay in or return to work. To promote wider cultural change in the perception of employing older workers and of working in later life, the Government has appointed Dr. Ros Altmann as a Business Champion for Older Workers.

Universal Credit

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants of Universal Credit have applied for (a) budgeting advances and (b) alternative payment arrangements; how many such applications were successful; and what the average amount awarded for a successful application has been to date.

Mr Mark Harper: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of changes in employment and support allowance and personal independence payments on people with progressive conditions such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's.

Mr Mark Harper: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2014 to Question 211684, whether the planned exemption from the three month residency test for people claiming jobseeker's allowance will apply to the family members of people posted abroad while serving in the armed forces.

Esther McVey: Currently, family members of HM forces, Crown servants and other types of posted worker are required to satisfy the three month residence requirement before they can claim Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) unless they personally fall within the scope of the exemption, for example, by having paid Class 1 or Class 2 National Insurance Contributions. Partners of members of the armed forces are however credited with UK National Insurance contributions and can also benefit from an easement to the first contribution condition for contributory JSA or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). This can help secure an entitlement to these benefits should either be required upon any return to the UK.

Children: Poverty

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the potential effect on child poverty of a freeze on (a) tax credits and (b) child benefit in 2016-17 and 2017-18.

Esther McVey: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Security Benefits

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of households claiming (a) jobseeker's allowance, (b) universal credit, (c) income support, (d) the work-related activity group component of employment and support allowance and (e) local housing allowance rates in housing benefit are (i) in work and (ii) have dependent children.

Esther McVey: Information on the number of local housing allowance awards each month is published at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/   Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm   The requested information for Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) and Income Support (IS) taken from the Family Resources Survey (FRS) is shown below:   Of households where at least one member receives Jobseeker's Allowance:proportion where at least one adult is in work:42% proportion with at least one dependent child:36%Of households where at least one member receives Income Support:proportion where at least one adult is in work:17% proportion with at least one dependent child:55%Source: Family Resources Survey 2012/13   Notes: 1. The Family Resources Survey (FRS) is a nationally representative sample of UK households.   2. The figures from the Family Resources Survey are based on a sample of households which have been adjusted for non-response using multi-purpose grossing factors which align the Family Resources Survey to former Government Office Region population by age and sex. Estimates are subject to sampling error and remaining non-response error.   3. Percentages have been rounded to the nearest 1 per cent.   4. Relative to administrative records, the FRS is known to under-report benefit receipt. For more details please see the Methodology chapter of the FRS publication: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/325491/family-resources-survey-statistics-2012-2013.pdf   5. A dependant child is an individual aged under 16, or aged 16-19 and: not married, in a civil partnership, or living with a partner; and living with parents or another responsible adult; and in full-time non-advanced education or in unwaged government training.   6. A household is in work if at least one member who is not a dependant child is employed or self-employed, either full- or part-time using the International Labour Organisation definitions. The information requested for the work related activity group of ESA is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.   The department publishes a wide range of statistics relating to children in workless households, by benefit, which includes those receiving Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) with child dependants (Table 4). This information links our data with that for Child Benefit HMRC data and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-in-out-of-work-benefit-households-statistics-31-may-2013   Background guidance on the use and interpretation of the figures is available at: http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/ben_hholds/cb_hholds_guidance.pdf   The information requested on Universal Credit is not currently available. The Department published its strategy for releasing Official Statistics on Universal Credit in September 2013. These statistics will be published in accordance with the relevant protocols in the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. As outlined in the strategy officials are currently quality assuring data for Universal Credit therefore it is not yet possible to give a definitive list of what statistics will be provided in the future.   The Department will however be publishing statistics on the proportion of people claiming Universal Credit who are in work on the 12 November 2014.   Universal Credit statistics and the Department’s release strategy can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/universal-credit-statistics

Children: Poverty

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the potential effect on child poverty of a freeze on (a) jobseeker's allowance, (b) universal credit, (c) income support, (d) the work-related activity group component of employment and support allowance and (e) local housing allowance rates in housing benefit in 2016-17 and 2017-18.

Esther McVey: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Security Benefits

Mr David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent progress he has made on rectifying benefit sanctions found to have been wrongly applied.

Esther McVey: We get the vast majority of decisions right. All decisions are made by independent decision makers based on evidence provided at the time. A sanction will never be imposed if a claimant provides good reason and once sanctioned a claimant has rights to reconsideration and appeal. Hardship payments are also available and vulnerable claimants, including anyone with responsibility for a child, can receive payments immediately.

Employment Schemes: Disability

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he expects to inform residential training colleges for disabled people whether their funding will be extended beyond August 2015.

Mr Mark Harper: It is a priority for me to ensure that as many disabled people as possible are helped towards employment through the Department’s various employment programmes. As mentioned in the “Disability and Health Employment Strategy: the discussions so far”, I understand the importance of a specialist support offer for disabled people, and I want to continue to improve this offer by considering a wide range of ideas and initiatives. My officials are currently undertaking a detailed analysis of how best to support disabled customers, and the role that Residential Training Colleges should play in this support. I cannot yet confirm when I will be able to inform residential training colleges of the outcome of this work, which will take account of the broader Disability Health and Employment Strategy and of the Department’s other employment programmes including Work Programme and Work Choice. As part of the process, officials will undertake an equality analysis so that I fully understand the impact of any future proposals before I make my final decision.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit applications can be processed on average manually by an adviser in a day.

Mr Mark Harper: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Motability

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what funds the Government has provided to Motability in each of the last five years.

Mr Mark Harper: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he expects Jobcentre Plus to deploy an IT solution for the calculation of universal credit for those other than single people; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Mark Harper: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department's projected expenditure on (a) disablity living allowance and (b) personal independence payment is in each year up to 2017-18.

Mr Mark Harper: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Universal Credit

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many front line job centre advisers will take part in user acceptance testing of the IT systems developed to facilitate the delivery of universal credit.

Mr Mark Harper: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Security Benefits: British Nationals Abroad

Sir Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether a conclusion has been reached on infringement proceedings generated by the European Commission against the Government of the United Kingdom, with regard to the application of the 'Past Presence' test for disability benefit purposes as it affects ex-patriate citizens of the United Kingdom now resident in other EU member states; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Mark Harper: There has been no formal conclusion to the infringement proceedings brought by the European Commission against the Government of the UK with regard to the application of the ‘Past Presence Test’ for certain disability benefits.

Universal Credit

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what metrics were used to determine whether the IT systems developed to facilitate the delivery of universal credit pathfinders were fit for purpose.

Mr Mark Harper: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Universal Credit

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many front line job centre advisers took part in user acceptance testing of the IT systems developed to facilitate the delivery of universal credit pathfinders.

Mr Mark Harper: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Universal Credit

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the programme management of universal credit made use of the Prince2 methodology.

Mr Mark Harper: The Universal Credit Programme has and continues to employ PRINCE 2 methodology among other development programmes in the delivery of IT and Business Services. Alongside this the Programme also adheres to the Government Digital Service standards required for Digital Projects and Programmes, ensuring that external assurance of the Programme considers the robustness of the programme management controls being applied.

Universal Credit

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what metrics will be used to determine whether the IT systems that have been developed to facilitate the delivery of universal credit roll out from early 2015 are fit for purpose.

Mr Mark Harper: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Housing Benefit: Northern Ireland

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many housing benefit claimants there are in each constituency in Northern Ireland.

Steve Webb: These are devolved matters which are the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive Minister for Social Development. Northern Ireland statistics and can be found at:http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/stats_and_research/benefit_publications.htm

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate he has made of the number of people subject to the under-occupancy penalty who have moved into a smaller home since the introduction of that penalty.

Esther McVey: The last published figures for May 2014 showed that, as a result of various actions, the number of people affected by the removal of the spare room subsidy had fallen by 65,000 over the last year. Analysis of off-flows indicated that up to December 2013, around 22,000 people had downsized or moved. New figures are not yet available and will be published in due course.

Access to Work Programme

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have received Access to Work support in the last 12 months.

Mr Mark Harper: 35,400 individuals were helped through Access to Work in the 2013/14 financial year.

Employment: Mental Illness

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent progress his Department has made on supporting people with mental health conditions in the workplace.

Mr Mark Harper: The Government is committed to supporting people with mental health problems to remain in work. We are launching Fit for Work to support people off sick for four weeks or more to help them return to work, as well as introducing maximum waiting times for accessing talking therapies. We are also working with the Department of Health to pilot different approaches to support people with mental health problems to return to work.

Older Workers

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps his Department has taken to support older workers.

Steve Webb: This Government has abolished the default retirement age, extended the right to request flexible working, and will be giving people more freedom in how they draw their pension pots to smooth the transition to retirement. The Department also published “Fuller Working Lives - A Framework for Action” in June, which set out the business case for employing older workers and included the following actions: DWP to work more closely with Local Enterprise Partnerships to encourage them to focus on the issue of fuller working lives in their local area;DH, DWP and GEO to launch a trial on carers in employment and the role assistive technology can play in helping them to combine work and care:A number of pilots with Jobcentre Plus on back to work support for carers; andDWP to develop a new guidance toolkit for employers - this will build on the existing Age Positive employer guidance. In July 2014, Dr Ros Altmann was appointed as the Business Champion for Older Workers and is making the case for the importance of fuller working lives for individuals, employers and wider society.

Employment

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of recent employment trends.

Esther McVey: The latest figures show a record number of people in work - 30.76 million, up 736,000 on the year. There are a record 14.4m women in work, with a record female employment rate of 68.1%. This year there have been some of the largest annual increases in employment since the 1980s.Total unemployment saw a record annual fall of 538,000, bringing unemployment below 2 million for the first time since 2008. Youth unemployment fell a record 253,000 on the year to 733,000. Long-term unemployment fell 194,000 on the year - the largest annual fall since 1998.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Pay

Mrs Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff employed by contractors working for her Department are paid below the Living Wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation; and if she will estimate the cost to the public purse of ensuring that all staff employed by contractors working for her Department are paid that wage.

Mrs Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff employed by contractors working in her Department's central offices are paid below the London Living Wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation; and what estimate she has made of the cost of ensuring that all such staff receive that wage.

Dan Rogerson: There are 2 major contracts arranged by the core Department which employ some people who earn less than the Living Wage or London Living Wage. Outside London, 179 people are employed on these contracts and earn less than the Living Wage. In London, 28 people are employed on these contracts and earn less than the London Living Wage, although 4 of those earn more than the national Living Wage. We do not currently have an accurate cost estimate for ensuring that all these staff are paid the living wage rates for the UK and London. It would incur disproportionate cost to examine all our smaller contracts. There are currently 9 temporary staff from employment agencies who are paid less than the UK Living Wage and employed outside London, and none in London paid less than the London Living Wage. These numbers can change at any time.

Dogs: Animal Breeding

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will bring forward legislative proposals to ban puppy farming.

George Eustice: Dog breeding is already regulated. If anyone has any concerns about the welfare of dogs in a dog breeding establishment they should report it to the relevant local authority who have powers to investigate and take appropriate action.

Private Finance Initiative

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many private finance initiative projects her Department contracted for in each year from 1997 to 2010.

Dan Rogerson: The Department entered into one private finance initiative (PFI) project in February 2001.

White Fish: Conservation

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take unilateral steps to manage bass stocks in UK waters until EU agreement is reached; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: The UK Government are continuing to push for effective EU-wide conservation measures that will ensure the stock recovers and becomes sustainable by working with the Commission and interested Member States. We expect EU bass management proposals to be agreed before the end of the year, to apply in 2015.

Environmental Protection: EU Action

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on which EU member states are leading on the EU Make It Work initiative; which industries are providing input; what the timetable is for public consultation; and what the objectives of the UK are in relation to that initiative.

George Eustice: The Netherlands, UK and Germany have established the Make it Work initiative to promote a European dialogue on improving EU environmental legislation.The UK’s ambition, shared by others involved, is to make it easier for business and others to comply with environmental requirements whilst continuing to maintain environmental protections. The aim is to establish a network of Member States committed to supporting actions to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of EU environmental legislation through sharing best practice and investigating opportunities for simplification. In addition the initiative will seek to establish an expert group to exchange views on improving the quality and coherence of the EU environmental acquis as a whole and develop guiding principles for “smart” EU environmental legislation both generally and on specific topics.The following EU Member States attended one or both of the workshops that have been held so far: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain. In addition, there have been contacts with others such as France. The European Commission and the European Union Network for the Implementation of Environmental Law (IMPEL) were also represented.There have been some informal discussions with stakeholders but formal input has not been sought from business or other stakeholders though it is planned to do this in future.

Japanese Knotweed

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to assess and mitigate the effect of Japanese knotweed.

George Eustice: It is well known that Japanese knotweed can have ecological impacts related to the alteration of habitat structure and biological communities, and can also pose some structural, management and access concerns if left uncontrolled. The plant is listed on Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which makes it an offence to allow the plant to escape or cause it to grow in the wild. When disposing of contaminated soil from development sites it is a legal requirement that the spoil must be disposed of as controlled waste.Since 2011, Defra has provided grant aid to several local action groups throughout England to reduce or eradicate invasive non-native species, including Japanese knotweed in local areas.Additionally, Defra has funded rigorous laboratory testing to identify a possible biocontrol agent to control the plant and has identified the psyllid, Aphalara itadori. A closely monitored licensed trial release programme has been undertaken since 2010 to assess the impact of this psyllid, although no significant and sustainable impacts have yet been seen because only small populations of the psyllid have survived. This year the project has conducted caged field trials releasing larger numbers to establish higher population densities and we are awaiting the results.The recent provision of Community Protection Notices, provided for in the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, are now available for use by local authorities to control or prevent the growth of Japanese knotweed.

Peat Bogs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will have discussions with the National Gamekeepers Association, the Countryside Alliance and the Land Access and Recreation Association on the protection of moorland and peat bogs where fishing takes place.

George Eustice: We would be happy to consider holding such discussions upon receipt of further information from the Member for Strangford about these issues.

Solar Power: Agriculture

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department's press release of 19 October 2014 entitled Subsidies for solar farms to be cut to help safeguard farmland, whether her Department holds evidence that shows that solar farms compromise the success of the UK agriculture industry.

George Eustice: Solar farms significantly compromise agricultural production on the land that they occupy because they deprive crops of light, make access for machinery difficult and make it harder to keep the land in a productive condition.

Agriculture: Northern Ireland

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she next plans to meet farming organisations in Northern Ireland.

Dan Rogerson: We work closely with farming organisations across the UK and look forward to meeting representatives in due course.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Local Government Finance

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what criteria his Department used to determine which councils received an (a) increase and (b) decrease in funding in 2014-15.

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effects of the proposed changes to funding for Birmingham Council on deprivation and poverty in Birmingham.

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, for what reason Birmingham council's funding in 2015 will be reduced by a greater amount than the national average reduction.

Kris Hopkins: I refer the Hon. Member to my written answer to him of 23 October 2014, PQ 210903. More broadly, I would note: · In 2014-15, Birmingham has an area spending power per dwelling of £2,679, considerably more than the comparable English average of £2,089.  · Birmingham City Council has the highest revenue outturn spending in England after the Greater London Authority: a total of £2.0 billion in 2013-14.  · Birmingham City Council is estimated to receive total government grants of £3,319 per dwelling in 2014-15; this compares with the English average of £2,628 and is the 13th highest in England (budgeted figures for revenue expenditure and financing; excludes income from mandatory housing benefits; includes education spending).

Local Government Finance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on changes in spending on local government since May 2010 on (a) staff morale and motivation and (b) level of services.

Kris Hopkins: Whilst savings have been made to help tackle the deficit left by the last Labour Government, they have been over-stated. Local government spending (excluding education) is actually higher than it was under the last Labour Government as the table below illustrates:Local authority net current expenditure (excluding education) in England (£ million) 2008-092009-102010-112011-122012-132013-14£70,870.578£74,705.768£75,956.637£75,000.191£74,807.852£77,063.700Note: Local government spending on education has structurally fallen due to the transfer of schools to Academy status, which are not funded through Local Education Authorities.We have not undertaken any assessment of staff morale, as employment decisions are a matter for local councils as employers. However, residents’ satisfaction is either the same or has increased according to independent surveys: • Research by ICM has found that 57 per cent of the public think that the quality of public services has improved or stayed the same compared to five years ago. Recycling collections, parks and open spaces, leisure centres and refuse collections are areas where the public think services have particularly improved (ICM Research, BBC News Bailout Anniversary Poll: Attitudes towards public services, September 2013).  • Opinion research by PwC in 2014 has noted: ‘As with our 2013 survey, almost half of the public we surveyed were unaware of any reductions in local council services in their area. To some extent, this is a testament to the success of local authorities to date in focussing on internal efficiencies while protecting the frontline’ (PwC, The Local State We’re In: PwC’s annual local government survey, 2014, p.7).  • A Ipsos Mori survey in 2014 has found that two-thirds (63 per cent) of local residents have said that local authority budget reductions have not made a noticeable difference to services (Zurich Municipal, A new world of risk; change for good, July 2014, p.19).  • The number of respondents who were very or fairly satisfied with the way their local council runs things was 69 per cent in October 2010 (LGA, Polling on resident satisfaction with councils, September 2012). The latest 2014 figures were 70 per cent and 67 per cent (LGA, Polling on resident satisfaction with councils, Full report, January and July 2014). This shows the scope for the public sector to make sensible savings, whilst protecting frontline services and keeping council tax down.

Fires: Safety

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 in providing (a) adequate fire safety and (b) appropriate fire drills, including evacuations, for (i) airport termini and (ii) hospitals.

Penny Mordaunt: It is the responsibility of enforcing authorities to satisfy themselves that the responsible person has complied with their duties under the Fire Safety Order 2005. Under the Fire Safety Order, building owners are required to carry out a fire risk assessment of their premises and put in place and maintain adequate and appropriate fire safety measures to ensure that the risk to life in the event of fire is reduced to as low as reasonably practicable. The Order is not prescriptive about what particular safety measures are needed; these are for the building owner to determine based on the specific circumstances of their building and the needs of the occupants, including those who may be particularly vulnerable to the risk from fire.

Local Government: Staff

Mr David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many (a) full-time, (b) part-time, (c) self-employed, (d) casual, (e) fixed-term or contract, (f) apprenticeship and (g) commission-only workers there were in each local authority in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Kris Hopkins: The Department does not collate or hold this information. The Office for National Statistics collects public sector employment statistics through its Quaterly Public Sector Employment Survey. A detailed breakdown of local government staff by local authority in England and Wales is available on the Local Government Assciation website. The information covers the period from 2006 to 2013 and can be found at:http://www.local.gov.uk/local-government-intelligence/-/journal_content/56/10180/2991184/ARTICLE

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the take-up of the Help to Buy has been in (a) England and (b) Crawley constituency.

Brandon Lewis: This Government is committed to supporting people’s aspirations to own their own home. Statistics for Help to Buy sales by constituency are published for Help to Buy: Equity Loan, but not for Help to Buy: Mortgage Guarantee and Help to Buy: NewBuy. These, together with statistics on the number of Help to Buy sales at local authority and postcode level are published on the Open Data Communities portal for Help to Buy: Mortgage Guarantee and Help to Buy: Equity Loan. This is available on the following link: http://opendatacommunities.org/def/concept/folders/themes/housing-market Statistics on Help to Buy: NewBuy sales at local authority level are published on the Department’s website, available on the following link: http://www.gov.uk/government/collections/help-to-buy-equity-loan-and-newbuy-statistics The number of Help to Buy: Equity Loan sales in the Crawley constituency (to 30 September 2014) is 49. The table below breaks down the total Help to Buy: Mortgage Guarantee, Help to Buy: Equity Loan and Help to Buy: NewBuy sales in England and the Crawley local authority area:  Mortgage Guarantee (to 30 June 2014)Equity Loan (to 30 September 2014)NewBuy (to 30 September 2014)TOTALEngland15,09133,9115,51854,520Crawley local authority3851594Data at constituency level is only available for the Help to Buy: Equity Loan Scheme.

Society Network Foundation

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the value was of contracts awarded by his Department to the Society Network Foundation since 2010.

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has provided any office space to the Society Network Foundation since 2010.

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has seconded any officials or special advisers to the Society Network Foundation since 2010.

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the value of (a) financial and (n) non-financial support provided by his-her= Department to the Society Network Foundation since 2010.

Stephen Williams: The Department for Communities and Local Government has not awarded a contract, seconded any staff, provided any office space or provided any financial or non-financial support to the Society Network Foundation.

Local Government: Data Protection

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Depatment's press release of 3 July 2013, entitled Government removes volunteering tax on councillors, what progress his Department has made in implementing the proposal set out in that press release.

Kris Hopkins: My Department has been working with the Ministry of Justice, who in turn have been working with the Information Commissioner, on changes to the rules about local authority members' notifying the Information Commissioner's Office that they are data controllers, to ensure that any new rules both remove bureaucratic burdens whilst ensuring that local authority members who are data controllers remain aware of their duties and obligations as data controllers.

Tenancy Deposit Schemes

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, who audits My Deposits; and whether that audit is submitted to his Department.

Brandon Lewis: MyDeposits is audited by FSPG Chartered Accountants and their company accounts are available online at Companies House. (http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/index.shtml)The scheme administrator Hamilton Fraser Insurance Plc is also regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Tenancy Deposit Schemes

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how often checking and monitoring of (a) the Deposit Protection Service, (b) the Tenancy Deposit Scheme and (c) My Deposits take place; and what that process involves.

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, who is responsible for checking and monitoring (a) the Deposit Protection Service, (b) the Tenancy Deposit Scheme and (c) My Deposits.

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department takes to assess the adequacy of My Deposits compliance procedures.

Brandon Lewis: All three tenancy deposit schemes are required to submit monthly key performance indicators to the Department for Communities and Local Government in accordance with the Service Concession Agreement. The schemes are also required to provide the Department with annual updates of all their management and financial plans.In addition the Department holds quarterly monitoring meetings with the schemes at which any performance issues can be discussed. Over the period that the schemes have been in operation their performance has been consistently high.

Radioactive Materials: Transport

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how his Department has implemented the relevant recommendations from Exercise Senator in 2011 on nuclear accident emergencies.

Penny Mordaunt: Exercise Senator 2011 tested the multi-agency response to an incident involving a UK nuclear weapon convoy travelling in Scotland and the simulated release of radioactive material. The Ministry of Defence is the lead Government Department responsible for emergencies involving defence nuclear assets (other than an emergency arising as a result of a terrorist event where the Home Office is appointed as lead). The Ministry of Defence works closely with devolved administrations (Scotland in this exercise) and local responders to ensure an effective coordinated response. The central government’s concept of operations sets out UK arrangements for responding to and recovering from emergencies.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/192425/CONOPs_incl_revised_chapter_24_Apr-13.pdfMy Department is responsible for providing the Government liaison function below the national level in England only. The Ministry of Defence invited my Department to observe exercise play at their main building where it considered cross border issues.The all agency exercise report (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/85882/exercise_senator_2011_all_agency_report.pdf) identified recommendations in exercise planning and operational, strategic and media play. There were no recommendations identified for my Department to implement.

Right to Buy Scheme: Brigg

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many council home tenants in Brigg and Goole constituency have bought their property under the right to buy scheme in each of the last 10 years.

Brandon Lewis: Statistics on Right to Buy sales are available at local authority level and can be found in Tables 691 (quarterly, from 2006/07) and 685 (annual, from 1998/99) at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-social-housing-sales These statistics are not available by parliamentary constituency. It should also be noted that they do not include sales of social housing stock through Preserved Right to Buy made by Registered Providers (such as housing associations) as these data are not available at a local authority level.Brigg and Goole constituency is made up of part of East Riding of Yorkshire (where there have been 554 Right to Buy sales between 2004/05 and 2013/14) and part of North Lincolnshire (where there were 366 Right to Buy sales between 2004/05 and 2006/07 when the unitary authority transferred its stock).

Councillors' Interests

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the effect of the declaration of interests requirements for people on parish councils on the number of people who serve on those councils; and if he will make a statement.

Kris Hopkins: When we abolished the Standards Board regime, which had become a vehicle for vexatious, petty and politically-motivated complaints about councillors, we put in place new, local arrangements for local authority standards, including for parish and town councils. At the same time, we introduced new rules to ensure that councillors could not put their own interests ahead of those of the public. A publicly available register of certain pecuniary interests is a key part of these new rules and is a key element in maintaining public confidence in their elected representatives. These new rules are sensible and proportionate and as stated in the Explanatory Memorandum to the Relevant Authorities (Disclosable Pecuniary Interests) Regulations 2012, we intend to undertake a policy review of the new arrangements three to five years after their policy implementation, which was in July 2012.

Planning: Health

Dr Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that the planning systems helps to promote physical activity, including cycling and walking; what assessment he has made of the wellbeing benefits of such measures; and what assessment he has made of the potential savings to the public purse from public health improvements arising from such measures.

Brandon Lewis: I refer my hon. Friend to my written answer of 22 October to the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavillion (Caroline Lucas), PQ 210760. Such steps are implemented and reported on locally.

Refuges: Females

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what housing tenure was held by women upon entering refuge accommodation in England and Wales in each year since 2010-11.

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent estimate he has made of the number of refuge places available in England and Wales.

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of refuge places available in England and Wales in each year since 2010-11.

Kris Hopkins: I refer the hon. Member to my writtten answer of 28 October 2014, PQs 211433, 211434, 211435.

Planning: Health

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that the planning system addresses (a) size and quality of housing, (b) opportunities for physical activity such as cycling and walking, (c) air and noise pollution, (d) access to green space, (e) isolation and loneliness and (f) other factors known to affect wellbeing.

Brandon Lewis: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Wales Office

Public Opinion

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how much his Department spent on (a) focus groups and (b) surveys in (i) 2013 and (ii) 2014 to date.

Alun Cairns: The Wales Office had no spend on focus groups or surveys in 2013 or in 2014 to date.

HM Treasury

Islamic State

Diana Johnson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) people and (b) entities believed to be connected to ISIL are currently on the financial sanctions list; and how many of these were added in the past 12 months.

Andrea Leadsom: There are two terrorism-related financial sanctions regimes in operation in the UK. These are the Terrorist Asset Freezing etc. Act (2010) (“TAFA”) regime which implements the terrorist asset freezing requirements of UN Security Council Resolution 1373, and EU Common Position 931; and the EU Al Qaida Sanctions Regime, given effect by Council Regulation 881/2002, which in turn implements the UN Security Council Resolution covering Al-Qaida-related terrorism, UNSRC 1267.On the consolidated list there are 248 individuals and 71 entities under the Al Qaida regime which include ISIL-related listings. The narrative summaries of the reasons for listing for the ISIL-related individuals on the Al Qaida list are publically available from the UN website.   The Terrorism and Terrorist Financing section of the Treasury’s Consolidated List lists individuals and entities designated under TAFA. It does not include the reasons that persons have been designated.   There have recently been two UN Security Council Resolutions promulgated which both focus specifically on ISIL, Al-Nusra Front and similar groups active in Syria and Iraq. These were Resolutions 2170 and 2178.

Minimum Wage

Alex Cunningham: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2014 to Question 209683 to the hon. Member for Stourbridge, what assessment he has made of the factors that resulted in there being no prosecutions for not paying the national minimum wage in each of the last two years.

Mr David Gauke: The Government takes the enforcement of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) very seriously. HMRC review every complaint that is referred to them by the Pay and Work Rights Helpline. In addition, HMRC undertake targeted enforcement on employers across the United Kingdom who are more likely to be not paying NMW.   The Government has increased the financial penalty percentage from 50% to 100% of the unpaid wages owed to workers, and the maximum penalty from £5,000 to £20,000. These new limits are now in force where arrears are identified in pay reference periods on or after 7 March 2014. The Government will also bring in primary legislation as soon as possible so that the maximum £20,000 penalty can apply to each underpaid worker.   The majority of employers identified as paying below the NMW pay arrears on receipt of a formal Notice of Underpayment. Where they do not do so, HMRC pursues recovery through the civil courts. HMRC‘s approach to tackling underpayment of NMW through the civil courts is the best way to ensure that money is paid back to the person underpaid and provides the most effective resolution for tax-payers. Criminal investigations may not result in arrears being paid to workers and are therefore reserved for the most serious cases.

Home Care Services

Alex Cunningham: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2014 to Question 209191, for what reason fewer HM Revenue and Customs investigations into the home-care sector were carried out in 2013-14 than 2012-13.

Alex Cunningham: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much of the national minimum wage arrears identified in the social care sector by HM Revenue and Customs in the findings of its social care evaluation of November 2013 have been recovered and paid to the workers affected.

Alex Cunningham: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2014 to question 209191, how many investigations by HM Revenue and Customs into the home care sector were conducted in the first six months of 2014-15.

Mr David Gauke: The Government takes the enforcement of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) very seriously.   HMRC does not keep data in a format to enable provision of the statistics requested on the amount of arrears paid or not paid to workers. HMRC contacts every employer whom they find has paid workers below the National Minimum Wage to confirm that they have paid the identified arrears to the workers. In addition, where it has found arrears for five or fewer workers it will contact all the workers to confirm payment by the employer. In cases involving arrears for more than five workers it will contact a minimum sample of five workers to confirm payment by the employer. HMRC will pursue non-payment of arrears through civil recovery action.   HMRC review every complaint that is referred to them by the Pay and Work Rights Helpline and will always investigate any case of possible National Minimum Wage abuse. Therefore there will always be variation in the number of cases investigated within specific sectors.

Welfare Tax Credits: Telephone Services

Dan Jarvis: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to reduce waiting times experienced by (a) people on a low income and (b) other people using the HM Revenue and Customs tax credits helpline.

Priti Patel: HMRC is responsible for handling calls to the Tax Credits helpline but is unable to distinguish, at the point of contact with its telephone system, if a caller is on a low income or otherwise. To keep the cost of dealing with HMRC as low as possible, the department has made it cheaper to call in most cases by rolling out 03 telephone numbers and by introducing voice recognition technology to its telephone systems, this allows some customers to get the answer they need without waiting to speak to adviser. HMRC recognises that wait times across all lines of business are not where it, or its customers, would like them to be. Over the next few months HMRC will be migrating its existing telephone services to a new telephony platform. This will improve the way that the queuing systems work and over time, will lead to reduced wait times. HMRC is also looking at a number of initiatives to improve customer service and wait times. These include: greater flexible working across HMRC to improve its response to particular peaks in demand and is investing in online and digital services for the future, opening up a wider variety of channels.

Home Care Services

Alex Cunningham: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the benefits and disbenefits of HM Revenue and Customs launching pro-active investigations into the home care sector and the non-payment of the national minimum wage.

Alex Cunningham: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HM Revenue and Customs plans to launch any further pro-active investigations into non-compliance with the national minimum wage in the social care sector.

Mr David Gauke: The Government takes the enforcement of National Minimum Wage very seriously. Any worker who believes that they are being paid below the minimum wage should make a complaint to the Pay & Work Rights Helpline on 0800 917 2368. HMRC review every complaint that is referred to them by the Pay and Work Rights Helpline. In addition, by collating and analysing data received from various sources, HMRC ensure targeted enforcement through robust risk assessment processes to identify employers across the United Kingdom who are more likely to be not paying National Minimum Wage.  As part of the targeted enforcement activity undertaken, HMRC have collaborated with care sector representative bodies, such as the UK Home Care Association, and payroll software service providers to improve understanding and awareness of National Minimum Wage compliance issues and assist in the development of compliance toolkits to enable those organisations to promote and facilitate voluntary compliance.

Taxation: Overseas Residence

Gordon Henderson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to announce his response to the consultation on removing the personal allowance for people living abroad.

Mr David Gauke: The consultation closed on 9th October. I expect the Government to set out the conclusions of the consultation and any next steps at the Autumn Statement on 3rd December.

National Insurance Contributions

Guto Bebb: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much revenue in the form of Class 1 National Insurance contributions was collected from people earning less than the threshold for income tax in the 2012-13 tax year.

Guto Bebb: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much (a) Class 2 and (b) Class 4 National Insurance his Department collected from individuals earning less than the threshold for income tax during the 2012-13 tax year.

Mr David Gauke: Estimates of the amount of Class 2 National Insurance contributions collected from individuals earning less than the threshold for income tax are not available.   For the tax year 2012-13, £28m of Class 4 National Insurance contributions was collected from individuals with total profits below the income tax threshold of £8,105.   For the tax year 2012-13, £510m of Class 1 National Insurance contributions was collected from individuals with total employment income below the income tax threshold of £8,105.

Bitcoin

Mr Mark Hoban: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what guidance he has issued to vendors accepting digital currencies as payment for goods and services.

Andrea Leadsom: The Chancellor of the Exchequer has not issued guidance to vendors accepting digital currencies as payment for goods and services.   In August 2014 the Chancellor announced the Government would undertake a major programme of work looking at the benefits and risks of digital currencies, and look into whether they could or should be regulated.

Community Amateur Sports Clubs Scheme

Mr John Whittingdale: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to publish draft regulations for community amateur sports clubs; and what his policy is on when those regulations will come into force.

Mr John Whittingdale: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether it is his policy that sports clubs qualifying for community amateur sports clubs status under proposed regulations will be able to backdate that status to the date of application.

Priti Patel: Draft new regulations for Community Amateur Sports Club scheme were published by HM Revenue & Customs on 9 October. A consultation document explaining how the new regulations will work was published at the same time. The consultation will close on 5 November.   The new regulations are expected to come into force on 1 April 2015. HMRC will register a club as a Community Amateur Sports Club from the beginning of the accounting period in which the club applied for registration if the club is eligible for Community Amateur Sports Club status under the new regulations and met all conditions of the scheme at the time their application was submitted.

Income Tax

Katy Clark: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many employment and support allowance recipients received a payment for income tax for 2012-13.

Mr David Gauke: Reliable estimates of the number of recipients of employment and support allowance also paying income tax in 2012-13 are not available due to the small sample size in this subset of the Family Resources Survey.

Social Security Benefits

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of households claiming (a) tax credits and (b) child benefit are (i) in work and (ii) have dependent children.

Priti Patel: For Tax Credits, details of proportions of families in receipt by in work recipients, and recipients with dependent children can be calculated using HMRC’s national statistics publication found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/305886/cwtc-apr14.xls. Out-of-work families should be included when considering the proportion of families with dependent children as all families in this category have dependent children.  HM Revenue and Customs does not hold information for Child Benefit on the work status of a recipient family and so an answer cannot be provided. All recipients of Child Benefit have dependent children.

Welfare Tax Credits

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, by what date (a) new and (b) existing claims to tax credits will end.

Priti Patel: Such plans were set out previously in the Written Ministerial Statement by my Rt. Hon Friend, The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on Monday 13 October 2014.   http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-vote-office/2014-October/13th%20October/17.DWP-welfare-reform.pdf.

Pool Reinsurance Company

Damian Green: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the current size is of the Pool Re reserves.

Andrea Leadsom: Pool Re’s reserves stood at approximately £5.26 billion as at 31 December 2013, according to Pool RE’s annual report.

Tourism: VAT

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the research conducted by the Nevin Economic Research Institute in Ireland on the rate of VAT on tourism-related goods and services.

Mr David Gauke: I refer the Hon lady to my comments during the Westminster Hall debate on 11th February 2014.

Pool Reinsurance Company

Damian Green: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Pool Reinsurance reserves in the event of a terrorist incident.

Andrea Leadsom: Pool Re’s reserves stood at approximately £5.26 billion as at 31 December 2013. However, Pool Re is able to cover events that result in significantly greater claims than £5.26 billion due to its ability to increase premiums, call on additional funds from members, and call on an HMT guarantee to make funding available should those sources prove insufficient to meet its reinsurance liabilities.

Employment

Martin Horwood: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the recommendation of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Wellbeing Economics that stable and secure employment for all should be the primary objective of economic policy.

Andrea Leadsom: Since the financial crisis the government's long term economic plan has provided the foundations for the current recovery, which is now well established. The government has continued to take the difficult decisions needed to secure a stronger recovery for all and build a fairer society. The latest official labour market figures show that employment in the UK is at its highest ever level, 30.76 million, an increase of 1.7 million since the Coalition entered office. Over the same period the level of redundancies has fallen by 45 per cent.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Oil: Refineries

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many former refineries have been converted to import and distribution terminals.

Matthew Hancock: Of the peak 22 refineries operating in Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 1974, seven are still operating as refineries and seven are now principally operating as oil import and distribution terminals.

Green Deal Scheme: Wales

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many households in (a) Newport East constituency and (b) Wales have received Green Deal funding.

Amber Rudd: The Department has reported that there were 22 Green Deal Cashback vouchers paid in the Newport East constituency, and 579 Cashback vouchers were paid in Wales up to 30th June 2014. 27 ‘live' Green Deal Plans (with measures installed) had been taken out in Wales to the same point. We cannot break this down to a lower geographic level at present for confidentiality reasons. The statistics referred to can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/green-deal-energy-company-obligation-eco-and-insulation-levels-in-great-britain-quarterly-report-to-june-2014Currently, the Department has not published any geographic breakdowns on the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund, as these would form part of the more detailed quarterly series planned for publication on 18th December 2014, covering the period up to the end of September 2014.



Green Deal ECO and Insulation levels in GB 23 Sept
(PDF Document, 1.3 MB)

Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment he has made of the performance of the domestic renewable heat incentive scheme.

Amber Rudd: As of 30th September 2014, there were 12,301 applications to the domestic renewable heat incentive scheme, with 10,048 approved accreditations and 9.838 MWh of heat paid for.

Fuel Poverty

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if he will take steps to ensure that no child living in poverty grows up in a cold home.

Amber Rudd: Our new fuel poverty target will focus on improving the energy efficiency of all fuel poor households, including children in poor households. We will be starting with the most inefficient and coldest homes first.We have a strong package of policies already delivering assistance and making steps to help those in need. Under our current plans from April 2018, domestic and non-domestic privately rented property will need to meet a minimum standard, which we have proposed to be an E EPC rating.Meanwhile, we continue to provide help to the most vulnerable by supporting over 2 million households a year with the Warm Home Discount as well as providing Winter Fuel Payments of up to £300.We also have in place the Big Energy Saving Network which is providing outreach to consumers, helping them understand tariffs and switching options as well as how they could benefit from energy efficiency programmes available to them.Our Energy Company Obligation (ECO) funds efficient boilers and insulation measures to low income and vulnerable households is now guaranteed until at least 2017. This has contributed to Government’s target of improving the energy efficiency of 1million homes from January 2013 to March 2015.We have already made significant progress towards achieving this with around 797,000 homes improved through a combination of ECO, Green Deal Cashback, Green Deal finance and the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund to the end of August 2014.

Fossil Fuels: Licensing

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many bids were received in the 14th licensing round for onshore oil and gas.

Matthew Hancock: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Fossil Fuels: Licensing

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when he intends to announce the awarding of licences arising from the 14th Onshore Oil and Gas Licensing round.

Matthew Hancock: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cabinet Office

Health

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that all departments make use of relevant wellbeing evidence to inform policy.

Mr Rob Wilson: The Cabinet Office is working with other departments to make use of wellbeing evidence.The Cabinet Office recently announced the establishment of a What Works Centre for Wellbeing, with the aim of translating wellbeing evidence into guidance for decision makers within Whitehall and beyond. The Government outlined its approach in detailed evidence provided to the Environmental Audit Committee for its Inquiry into Wellbeing. This can be found at:http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/environmental-audit-committee/inquiries/parliament-2010/well-being/

Private Finance Initiative

Simon Kirby: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many private finance initiative projects his Department contracted for in each year from 1997 to 2010.

Mr Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office has one current private finance initiative (PFI) contract, which commenced in 2002.In addition, in June 2007 the Cabinet Office entered into a contract, treated as a PFI contract in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts, which ended in June 2012.Information on the Cabinet Office’s Private Finance Initiative contracts is available in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts. Online copies for 2007-08 onwards ARE on the GOV.UK website:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/cabinet-office-annual-reports-and-accounts

Alcoholic Drinks: Brigg

Andrew Percy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many alcohol-related deaths there were in Brigg and Goole constituency in (a) 2011, (b) 2012 and (c) 2013.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. 



ONS Letter to Member - Alcohol Related Deaths
(PDF Document, 121.83 KB)

Ebola

Luciana Berger: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has carried out a risk assessment of the threat posed to the UK by the Ebola epidemic.

Mr Oliver Letwin: The Cabinet Office continues to work with colleagues across government to monitor and assess the risk posed to the UK by the current Ebola epidemic. The advice from the Chief Medical Officer is that the public health risk in the UK remains low.I refer the Hon Member to the statement made by my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Health on 13 October 2014.

Pneumococcal Disease

Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how often (a) pneumococcal disease and (b) pneumococcal community-acquired pneumonia was mentioned on death certificates in England and Wales in each of the last 15 years.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. 



ONS Letter to Member - Pneumoccal Disease
(PDF Document, 146.29 KB)

Department for Culture Media and Sport

Mobile Phones

Mr Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he has taken to facilitate the deployment of fixed and mobile broadband networks; and when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to implement the review of the Electronic Communications Code.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The UK Government has committed £790m central funding to improving coverage of superfast and standard broadband in the UK. Together with local sources of match funding this represents up to £1.7bn of public funding. The Scottish Government has been allocated over £100m from central funds to support the roll-out of superfast and standard broadband in Scotland. The Scottish Government is responsible for the projects in Scotland. And information about the Highland & Islands projects can be found on the Highlands and Islands Enterprise website.  The DCMS worked closely with the Department of Communities and Local Government to design and implement a package of planning relaxations in England in 2013. These changes support the roll-out of fixed line high-speed broadband in protected areas, and high-speed mobile broadband (4G) in protected and unprotected areas by removing the need to seek planning permission for specified developments. I am still considering my position on the reform of the Electronic Communications Code and will outline my plans shortly. I want to ensure that any reforms to the Code provide effective but balanced support to expand communications infrastructure and improve network coverage for the benefit of the public and businesses across the UK.

Video Games: Females

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the Government's estimate is of the proportion of video games sector employees who are women.

Mr Edward Vaizey: This data is not included in our Creative Industries Economic Estimates. However, a census carried out by the relevant sector skills council, Creative Skillset, in 2012 reported that 14% of the games workforce were women. This was an increase from 6% in their 2009 census. Creative Skillset will be re-evaluating the proportion of video games sector employees who are women in their next survey, which is due in 2015.

Mobile Phones: Contracts

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with Ofcom on mobile telephones and mid-contract price increases.

Mr Edward Vaizey: I have regular discussions with Ofcom on a range of issues.Government pressure recently led to reform in this area. As a result, for contracts entered into after 23 January 2014, when the core price increases mid-contract, consumers can exit their contracts without penalty and hence can switch to another provider or tariff. This applies to all communications providers.

Football: Homophobia

Ms Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to tackle homophobic abuse in football stadiums.

Mrs Helen Grant: DCMS and the FA take matters of discrimination very seriously: any form of racism, anti-Semitism or homophobia is completely unacceptable. We have made good strides in tackling discrimination in sport in this country in the last 25 years but we can’t be complacent and must continue to work on it. Following the 2012 Downing Street summit on racism in football, the FA are now delivering against a whole sport Inclusion and Anti-Discrimination Plan called “Football’s for Everyone” to build equality and inclusion in football. DCMS welcomes this commitment, and specific initiatives, such as “Football vs Homophobia”. The FA Inclusion Advisory Board reports quarterly to DCMS on the progress made.

Mobile phones: Cumbria

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress his Department has made in improving 3G and 4G mobile telephone signals (a) nationally and (b) in Cumbria since 2011.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The first 4G services were launched in the UK on 30 October 2012. Ofcom auctioned 800 MHz and 2600 MHz spectrum in January/February 2013 for 4G mobile broadband services including for a licence won by Telefonica O2 which included a coverage obligation to reach 98% of the UK population indoors by the end of 2017. All four mobile network operators had launched 4G mobile broadband services by the end of 2013 and all are aiming to reach 98% of the UK population by the end of 2015.According to Ofcom’s Infrastructure Report 2013 Update, over 99% of UK premises were served by at least one operator offering 3G services, with almost 80% of premises served by all operators. That report did not provide figures for 4G mobile broadband coverage although EE claims coverage of over 75% of the UK population with its 4G services. The next Ofcom Infrastructure Report will be published before the end of the year and will include 4G coverage dataAccording to Ofcom, over 94% of premises in Cumbria could receive a 3G signal from at least one operator although only 53% of premises received signal from all operators. 4G services have been launched by at least one operator in Cumbria.

Television: Licensing

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what change there has been in the number of households in Northern Ireland holding a black and white television licence between 2003 and 2013.

Mr Edward Vaizey: TV Licensing do not hold figures for the number of black and white TV licences held in Northern Ireland in 2003. In 2013 there were 818 black and white TV licences held in Northern Ireland.

Deputy Prime Minister

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, pursuant to the Answers of 11 September 2014 to Questions 208200 and 208199, which local authorities have informed his Department that the capability of their computer systems to deal with individual electoral registration poses a threat to the successful implementation of individual electoral registration.

Mr Sam Gyimah: All local authorities successfully implemented Individual Electoral Registration on 10 June 2014 in England and Wales and 19 September 2014 in Scotland. Cabinet Office is in discussions on an ongoing basis with all local authorities and their software suppliers to ensure the new system beds in.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2014 to Question 208273, what (a) guidance and (b) sanctions (i) his Department and (ii) the Electoral Commission provides for electoral registration officers who refuse to undertake door to door canvassing.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Electoral Commission sets standards for Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and monitors performance against these criteria. It will publish its assessments of ERO performance during the course of the transition to Individual Electoral Registration (IER).All EROs in Great Britain are expected to meet their obligations to carry out door to door canvassing. If an authority is identified as not implementing its plans for carrying out house-to-house enquiries Ministers are fully prepared to issue a direction under section 52 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 to ensure the ERO complies with their statutory obligations.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what assessment his Department has made of the appropriateness of the key success measure for completeness of the electoral register contained in the Electoral Commission's Corporate Plan 2014-15 to 2018-19.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Electoral Commission, as an independent body, is overseen by the Speaker’s Committee. The Speaker’s Committee examines and approves the estimates and five year corporate plan of the Electoral Commission. It is for the Committee as a whole to make such an assessment.

By-elections

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the average cost to the public purse was of parliamentary by-elections since May 2010.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Deputy Prime Minister has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department of Health

Social Services

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has made an assessment of or received evidence on the effect on care standards of non-payment of the national minimum wage in the social care sector.

Norman Lamb: The Department has not conducted any recent research on the effect of treatment of staff on standards of care and on the relationship between levels of pay and quality of social care services.   As part of the development of Caring for our Future white paper in 2011, the Department undertook extensive engagement with both service users and carers who highlighted a range of issues they felt needed addressing to ensure high quality care and support is available. In addressing this, the Department, working with the Sector Skills Council – Skills for Care – and other partners, has implemented a range of policies that has included setting out clear minimum training standards, recruiting more apprentices and supporting the transformation of the social work profession.   There are a number of factors that determine the quality of care provided in the social care sector, including the way staff are treated. Pay is not the single most significant factor in delivering high quality services.   The Department is clear however that care providers must abide by the law with regards to payment of the national minimum wage and is taking steps to ensure this happens. The Department is liaising with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to name and shame any social care providers who do not comply with the national minimum wage legislation and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs is continuing to carry out enforcement action in the social care sector and will investigate all complaints made by care workers that their employer is not paying them the national minimum wage. In addition, it is looking to ensure that the statutory guidance that will accompany the Care Act on commissioning and market shaping explicitly states local authorities should have evidence that contract terms, conditions and fee levels are appropriate to provide the agreed care packages with agreed quality of care.

Skin Cancer

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to introduce a screening programme for people who have previously had treatment for skin cancer.

Jane Ellison: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published cancer service guidance which outlines how healthcare services for people with skin tumours, including melanoma, should be organised. In May 2010 NICE issued a partial update to the guidance, including new recommendations on the management of low-risk basal cell carcinomas in the community.   NICE is currently developing a clinical guideline on the assessment and management of melanoma, which is currently planned for publication in July 2015. Further details of NICE’s guidance on skin cancer are available at:   http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/conditions-and-diseases/cancer/skin-cancer   Information for the public on skin cancer is available on the NHS Choices website.

School Milk

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment she has made of the effect of recent changes to the nursery milk scheme on the ability of schools to fulfil the requirements of the School Food Standards in relation to milk.

Dr Daniel Poulter: A modernised Nursery Milk Scheme is currently under development and expected to be tendered in due course.   The assessment of any effects of the changes to the Nursery Milk Scheme are part of ongoing discussions between officials via a cross Government Nursery Milk Scheme Task and Finish Group.   The changes have no impact on either the current School Food Standards Regulations or the new School Food Standards Regulations which come into force on 1 January 2015.   The Nursery Milk Scheme is available to all children under five who attend an eligible childcare setting for two hours per day or more. Eligible settings include child-minders, day care providers, private and local authority run nurseries. The School Food Standards apply to schools rather than nursery and private childcare and child minder settings.

NHS: Reorganisation

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much funding his Department allocated to the Health Reform Evaluation Programme for 2014-15; and how much was allocated in each of the five previous years.

George Freeman: Research projects on health reform were commissioned during 2007 and 2008 and brought together within the framework of the independent Health Reform Evaluation Programme. Following a supplementary call for research proposals in 2013, four new projects are commencing during the period October 2014 to January 2015.   Expenditure by the Department on the Health Reform Evaluation Programme is shown in the following table.   £ million 2009-102010-112011-122012-132013-142014-15Planned1.52.22.00.40.00.4

Orphan Drugs

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the NHS spent on orphan medicines in each of the last three years; and what proportion of total medicines expenditure that represented in each year.

George Freeman: The information is not collected because it could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

General Practitioners

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the cost of Health Education England's third round of recruitment for general practice training posts.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The third round of national recruitment was one of the initiatives undertaken by Health Education England (HEE) to support recruitment into general practitioner (GP) training places. HEE continues to work with its partners to reach its mandate commitment of ensuring 3,250 trainees enter ST1 GP training by 2016.   The estimated breakdown of costs is below:   DescriptionTotalStage 2 Assessment£10,000Stage 3 Venue£24,230Printing costs£893Assessors - clinical£29,088Assessors - non-clinical£3,636Moderators - clinical£1,212Moderators - non clinical£606Trainee expenses£25,200Role Players£18,920 £113,785

Mental Health Services

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve access to NICE-recommended mindfulness-based therapies on the NHS.

Norman Lamb: Over the course of the current spending review, we are investing in excess of £400 million in England to give thousands of people access to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence-approved psychological therapies, including Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy. The 2014-15 Mandate to NHS England makes clear that ‘everyone who needs it should have timely access to evidence based services’. The Mandate sets a clear objective for NHS England to deliver the key objectives of the Improving Access to Psychological Therapy (IAPT) programme – providing access to therapies to 15% of those eligible (around 900,000 people) per year by 2015.   We are increasing the availability of IAPT services to cover children and young people and exploring extending services to people with long-term physical health problems and those with severe mental illness.   We have invested £54 million over the period 2011 – 2015/16 in the Children and Young People’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (CYP IAPT) programme. The Programme works with services covering up to 60% of England’s 0-19 population, and will cover approximately 68% by the end of 2014-15. This is giving children and young people improved access to the best evidenced mental health care. NHS England is planning for a countrywide extension of the programme with Health Education England.   The IAPT programme is working with a number of the Department’s Strategic Partners to promote wider access of the service to all sections of the community. The partners are working with IAPT service providers to identify and overcome the barriers to people gaining access to IAPT services.

Blood: Transport

Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to promote the use of blood bikes for the transportation of blood to hospital trusts.

Jane Ellison: Whilst recognising the work of blood bikes, the Department is not actively promoting their use as it is a matter for individual trusts to decide whether they wish to use such services.

Blood: Transport

Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will provide figures showing how much money has been saved by the NHS by the use of blood bikes for the transportation of blood (a) nationally and (b) in the North West region in each of the last three years.

Jane Ellison: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Mental Health Services

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the potential benefits of training doctors and nurses in mindfulness.

Norman Lamb: No recent assessment has been made of the potential benefits of training doctors and nurses in mindfulness. The Department does however recognise the potential benefits of training doctors and nurses in mindfulness.   The National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidance for the National Health Service has recommended Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for recurrent depression since 2004. MBCT is available through a number of Improving Access to Psychological Therapy services in England. Health Education England (HEE) supports the delivery of excellent healthcare and health improvement to the patients and public of England, by ensuring that we have the workforce in the right numbers, with the right skills, values and behaviours, at the right time and in the right place. HEE is developing the workforce to deliver compassionate, high quality care. HEE has established a Mental Health Advisory Group to promote and enhance mental health education and training across the professions and provide strategic professional advice and expertise on workforce planning and education development. Membership representation includes; healthcare, social care, third sector and professional bodies. HEE is considering the opportunities for developing a psychologically minded workforce.

Plastic Surgery

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to ensure more effective regulation of providers of cosmetic laser treatments; and whether it is his policy to introdude a register of such providers.

Dr Daniel Poulter: On 24 April 2013, the independent Review of the Regulation of Cosmetic Interventions, chaired by Sir Bruce Keogh, was published. A copy has already been placed in the Library. The Government Response to the Review of the Regulation of Cosmetic Interventions, was published on 13 February. A copy of the response has already been placed in the Library. We fully accept the principles of the Keogh review and the overwhelming majority of the recommendations.   The Government has undertaken to strengthen standards through better training and robust qualifications, and explore how far supervision from regulated professionals might support self-regulation of the sector.   The Royal College of Surgeons has set up an inter-specialty committee to ensure standards for cosmetic surgery and will work with the General Medical Council on a code of ethical conduct. Health Education England (HEE) is leading on a review of training and qualifications for providers of non-surgical cosmetic interventions, including lasers. On 11 September, HEE published a phase 1 report Review of qualifications required for delivery of non-surgical cosmetic interventions. A copy of the report is attached.   The Care Quality Commission has developed a new inspection methodology to cover independent health providers, reflecting the protocols used for National Health Service hospitals. The inspections will be conducted with relevant specialists within the inspection teams, including those with experience in cosmetic interventions.   The Department is also taking steps to meet relevant stakeholders to discuss cosmetic procedures and the necessity and form of any further regulation to protect the public. There are no current plans to introduce a statutory register of providers of cosmetic laser treatments. 



Report
(PDF Document, 491.95 KB)

Queen Alexandra Hospital

Mr Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the (a) mean and (b) median waiting time for treatment in Queen Alexandra Hospital's accident and emergency department was in each year from 2009-10.

Jane Ellison: The information is shown in the following table.   Mean and median duration (in minutes) to treatment for Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust accident and emergency (A&E) department, 2009-10 – 2012-13.YearNumber of attendances with a valid Duration to TreatmentMean Duration to TreatmentMedian Duration to Treatment2009-10102,39583522010-11108,10183552011-12118,71965492012-13128,7287048 Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) Analysis Team at the Health and Social Care Information Centre.   Notes:   Mean and median – The mean (average) and median (middle in ranking when all values are sorted in order) duration in minutes to assessment, treatment or departure.The information supplied was available by Trust rather than by individual A&E Department and therefore the Department has supplied information on Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust as a whole rather than Queen Alexandra Hospital A&E specifically.Duration to assessment – The total amount of time in minutes between the patient's arrival and their initial assessment in the A&E department. This is calculated as the difference in time from arrival at A&E to the time when the patient is initially assessed.Duration to treatment – The total amount of time in minutes between the patient's arrival and the start of their treatment. This is calculated as the difference in time from arrival at A&E to the time when the patient began treatment.Duration to departure – the total amount of time spent in minutes in the A&E department. This is calculated as the difference in time from arrival at A&E to the time when the patient is discharged from A&E care. This includes being admitted to hospital, died in the department, discharged with no follow up or discharged - referred to another specialist department.Hospital provider - A provider code is a unique code that identifies an organisation acting as a health care provider (eg NHS trust or primary care trust). Data from some independent sector providers, where the onus for arrangement of dataflows is on the commissioner, may be missing. Care must be taken when using this data as the counts may be lower than true figures.Assessing growth through time (A&E) – HES figures are available from 2007-08 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care.Data quality – The recording of duration in HES A&E is not mandatory and this may particularly have affected the quality of recorded durations to assessment and treatment.

NHS: Redundancy Pay

Dr Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost of compulsory redundancy payments for staff of all NHS employers in England was in each year from 2009-10 to 2013-14.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The costs of compulsory redundancy payments for staff of all National Health Service employers are shown in the following table. There are currently 21,000 fewer admin staff working in the NHS since 2010 and 13,500 more front line clinical staff.   The Government is proposing that highly-paid staff who receive a redundancy pay-out and then return to the same part of the public sector within a year will be required to repay part of the total amount. It is proposed that contracts will contain a standard clause that states that individuals will have to pay back a proportion of the payment to their previous employer dependent upon the length of time between jobs. NHSCost of Compulsory Redundancies £000s2013-14109,4852012-13265,3792011-12150,5772010-11118,344   Source: Audited Summarisation Schedules   Notes:   1. Figures from the audited statutory accounts of NHS organisations are collected centrally. 2. We have interpreted “NHS employers” to comprise Strategic Health Authorities, Primary Care Trusts, NHS Trusts and Foundation Trusts in 2010-11 to 2012-13. For 2013-14 however, due to reorganisation, the figures comprise NHS Trusts, Foundation Trusts and NHS England (including the NHS England entity, Regional Teams, Area Teams, Commissioning Support Units and Clinical Commissioning Groups). 3. The NHS Manual for Accounts does not define what is included within the compulsory redundancy heading and as such it is not possible to clarify whether it includes related costs for employers of early retirement on the grounds of redundancy. 4. Information in respect of compulsory redundancies was not separately identified prior to 2010-11 and as such no comparable information can be provided.

School Milk

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effects of changes to the nursery milk scheme on the supply of milk.

Dr Daniel Poulter: A modernised Nursery Milk Scheme is currently under development and expected to be tendered in due course. The aim of the scheme remains to supply nursery milk to all eligible settings.   The Government’s response to the consultation document Next Steps for Nursery Milk was published on 27 March earlier this year setting out the preferred option for modernising the scheme. The Impact Assessment, also published on 27 March sets out the impact of the preferred option, including any impact on the supply of milk. These documents are attached and also available at the following web links:   https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/making-the-nursery-milk-scheme-more-cost-effective   http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2014/110   It is the Department’s intention to ensure that a modernised Nursery Milk Scheme includes opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises, and farmers, to be fully involved with the scheme. 



Nursery Milk Government Response
(PDF Document, 176.68 KB)




Nursery Milk Consultation
(PDF Document, 391.36 KB)




Nursery Milk Impact Assessment
(PDF Document, 335.83 KB)

Dementia

Mr Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of adults in (a) Fareham constituency, (b) Hampshire and (c) England have been diagnosed with dementia in each of the last 10 years.

Norman Lamb: Information on the number of people with dementia has been collected since 2006-07. Information is collected at National Health Service organisation level, and not constituency level. Data on the number of people with dementia in England, Hampshire Primary Care Trust, and the clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) that replaced it, are shown in the following table. Table 1: Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF): Patients on the dementia register and prevalence rates in England, 2006-07 to 2013-14   YearNumber of Practices1Sum of List Sizes1Sum of Dementia Register1Dementia Prevalence1(percentage -based on QOF registers)2013-147,92156,324,887348,9730.622012-138,02056,012,096318,6690.572011-128,12355,525,732293,7380.532010-118,24555,169,643266,6970.482009-108,30554,836,561249,4630.452008-098,22954,310,660232,4300.432007-088,29454,009,831220,2460.412006-078,37253,681,098212,7940.40   Note: 1. Practices, practice list size and number of patients on the dementia register are based only on those GP practices that participated in QOF. Table 2: Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF): Patients on the dementia register and prevalence rates in the specified CCGs, 2012-13 and 2013-142012/132013/14CCG NameNumber of Practices1Sum of List Sizes1Sum of Dementia Register1Dementia Prevalence1(percentage - based on QOF registers)Number of Practices1Sum of List Sizes1Sum of Dementia Register1Dementia Prevalence1(percentage - based on QOF registers)North Hampshire 22217,3871,0900.5020218,9551,2150.55Fareham and Gosport 21200,9591,2770.6421201,5961,4130.70Portsmouth26217,6851,4730.6826218,6721,5100.69South Eastern Hampshire 28208,9771,5680.7527209,5401,6990.81Southampton36267,7651,3760.5135269,9481,4670.54West Hampshire 54543,3544,0310.7452536,7444,2950.80North East Hampshire and Farnham24218,8681,0790.4924220,1741,3170.60   Note: 1. Practices, practice list size and number of patients on the dementia register are based only on those GP practices that participated in QOF. Table 3: Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF): Patients on the dementia register and prevalence rates in Hampshire Primary Care Trust, 2006-07 to 2011-12   YearNumber of Practices1Sum of List Sizes1Sum of Dementia Register1Dementia Prevalence1(percentage - based on QOF registers)2011-121461,334,2728,6950.652010-111461,325,0508,2880.632009-101471,316,3947,9980.612008-091471,298,3987,5180.582007-081461,289,1457,1090.552006-071481,288,6156,7630.52   Note: 1. Practices, practice list size and number of patients on the dementia register are based only on those GP practices that participated in QOF.

Health: Males

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 1 September 2014 to Question 206875, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential of Men's Sheds movement to improve mental health and reduce loneliness; and if he will meet representatives of Men's Sheds to discuss those issues.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 1 September 2014 to Question 206875, what funding his his Department has made available for research into the effect of loneliness and isolation on health and wellbeing; and what research his Department has commissioned on that issue.

Norman Lamb: The Department has a strong interest in the impact that loneliness and isolation in older people can have on their physical and mental health and wellbeing. The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funds a range of research relating to the effect of loneliness and isolation on health and wellbeing.   The NIHR School for Public Health Research has funded a systematic review of Men’s Sheds interventions in partnership with Age UK. A report drawing on this research is available on the Age UK website:   http://www.ageuk.org.uk/documents/en-gb/for-professionals/research/men%20in%20sheds%20age%20uk%20brief.pdf?dtrk=true   The NIHR has awarded £231,788 for a doctoral fellowship focussed on developing effective interventions to prevent or address the adverse effects of loneliness and isolation on the health of older people.   The Department welcomes Men’s Sheds interest in meeting with Ministers and we would recommend that they contact my office to request a meeting.

Obesity

Mr Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of (a) children and (b) adults in (i) Fareham constituency, (ii) Hampshire and (iii) England were classed as (A) overweight and (B) obese in each of the last 10 years.

Jane Ellison: Data on childhood obesity are not collected by parliamentary constituency. The data in the attached table 1 and 2 are for the area of Fareham district, Hampshire County and England. The National Childhood Measurement Programme data collection began in 2006-07 and only collects data on two age groups; reception year (4-5 years) and year 6 (10-11 years).   Data on adult obesity and excess weight (overweight and obese) for Fareham district, Hampshire County and England are available from the ‘Local Health Profiles’ using data from the ‘Active People Survey’ commissioned by Sport England. The data are only available for 2012 and are presented as a total figure for males and females. This data is not collected by parliamentary constituency.   - Excess weight defined as the proportion of the adult population who are overweight or obese in 2012   Fareham district 64.8% Hampshire County Council 65.1% England 63.8%   - The proportion of the adult population classified as obese in 2012.   Fareham district 26.1% Hampshire County Council 22.2% England 23.0% 



Overweight children in Fareham Hampshire & England
(Word Document, 63.5 KB)

Thalidomide

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has held with disability campaigners on securing compensation from Grünenthal for people affected by thalidomide; and if he will make representations to his German counterpart on that matter.

Norman Lamb: I met with the Thalidomide Trust on 23 June 2014 and subsequently wrote to Manuela Schwesig, Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, on behalf of all four UK Governments asking if she would meet with the Trust.

Out of Area Treatment: Wales

Mr Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what arrangements are in place to ensure that the costs of treating in England patients resident in Wales are recovered from NHS Wales.

Jane Ellison: Hospitals in England that routinely provide treatment for patients resident in Wales have contracts, or service level agreements, with the Local Health Boards (LHBs) responsible for the care of these patients, which provide for the costs of treatment to be recovered. Other hospitals which treat Welsh patients less frequently will invoice the responsible LHB directly for the costs of individual cases. NHS England has published guidance to confirm which body is the responsible commissioner for all types of patients, including those whose use services across national borders within the United Kingdom.   A comparatively small number of Welsh residents (approximately 15,000) are registered with a general practitioner (GP) in England. A protocol is currently in place between the NHS in England and the Welsh Government which provides for the care of these patients to be commissioned by the clinical commissioning group responsible for the GP practice (a reciprocal arrangement covers English residents who have a GP in Wales). This protocol is currently under review.

Pancreatic Cancer

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the effect of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's health technology appraisals on pancreatic cancer research.

George Freeman: We have made no such assessment.   The National Institute for Health Research is investing £6.5 million over five years to 2017 in the Liverpool Pancreas Biomedical Research Unit. This unit is working in partnership with industry and leading research institutions to develop new treatments and diagnostic strategies for pancreatic cancer, so advancements in science can lead to benefits for patients.

Parkinson's Disease

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2014, to Question 209177, which reporting organisations reported each of the 617 incidents; and which reporting organisations reported each of the (a) 94 incidents resulting in low harm and (b) 17 incidents resulting in moderate harm, between 20 March and 21 July 2014 involving Parkinson's disease and medicines used to treat Parkinson's disease.

Dr Daniel Poulter: A table is attached showing the number of patient safety incidents involving medications used to treat Parkinson’s disease, reported to the National Reporting and Learning System between 20 March 2014 and 21 July 2014 detailing the number of incidents reported by each relevant organisation and the number of those incidents reported to have resulted in no harm, low harm or moderate harm. 



Table
(Word Document, 33.56 KB)

Terminal Illnesses

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether health technology appraisal committees can apply the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's end-of-life criteria flexibly when appraising treatments for patients with terminal illness.

George Freeman: Appraisal Committees are independent advisory bodies responsible for making recommendations to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on the clinical and cost effectiveness of treatments for use in the National Health Service.   NICE’s Guide to the Methods of Technology Appraisal is published at:   www.nice.org.uk/article/PMG9/chapter/Foreword   and describes how its Appraisal Committees reach decisions on treatments. It provides details of the criteria that need to be met in order to apply greater flexibility in the appraisal of life-extending drugs for patients at the end of their lives.

Cancer: Drugs

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many cancer drugs approved by the Cancer Drugs Fund have subsequently been (a) approved and (b) rejected by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

George Freeman: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published final technology appraisal guidance for 27 treatment indications that have been approved by the Cancer Drugs Fund panel for inclusion on its national list. Of these:   - three treatment indications have been recommended by NICE; - three treatment indications have received an optimised recommendation from NICE, recommending use for to a smaller group of patients than is eligible for treatment through the Cancer Drugs Fund; and - 21 treatment indications have not been recommended. In some cases, NICE issued guidance that did not recommend a treatment before it was approved for inclusion the Cancer Drugs Fund national list.   NICE is appraising but has yet to issue final guidance for some treatment indications. NICE is also currently updating its guidance for two treatment indications with an optimised recommendation; and one treatment indication that is not recommended. Additionally, a number of treatments on the Cancer Drugs Fund national list have not been appraised by NICE.

Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme

Dr Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2014 to Question 210807, what the anticipated payments were in respect of England in 2014-15; whether the anticipated payments have been passed to NHS England through the mandate; and whether the actual rebate payments for 2014-15 are on course to match or exceed those anticipated payments.

Dr Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2014 to Question 210807, what the anticipated payments in England were in 2014-15; whether those anticipated payments have been passed to NHS England through the mandate in full; and whether the actual rebate payments for 2014-15 are on course to match or exceed those anticipated payments.

George Freeman: The anticipated Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS) payment for 2014-15 in respect of England was estimated to be £375 million and this was taken into account when setting the 2014-15 NHS England Mandate and overall NHS budget.   The actual amount received in financial year 2014-15 will depend on actual sales covered by the PPRS in Quarters 2-4 2014 and Quarter 1 in 2015, and also on the adjusted payment percentage for 2015 which will affect Quarter 1 2015.   The Government has committed to publishing PPRS payment data quarterly. In line with this commitment, the Department has published the first two quarters PPRS payments for 2014 and will be announcing the third and fourth quarter payments, which will depend on growth in those quarters, together with the adjusted payment percentage for 2015, in due course.

Terminal Illnesses

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence advises that end-of-life criteria should only apply to medicines that extend life by at least three months.

George Freeman: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 28 October 2014 to Question 211807.

NHS: Reorganisation

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his Answer of 23 October 2014 to the Urgent Question on Five Year Forward View, Official Report, column 1044, if he will ensure that Hartlepool constituency is a pilot area for (a) the introduction of Multispecialty Community Providers and (b) such a provider taking over the running of the local hospital.

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his Answer of 23 October 2014 to the Urgent Question on Five Year Forward View, Official Report, column 1044, what steps he has taken to ensure that NHS England and Monitor work together to consider whether adjustments are needed to the NHS payment regime to reflect the costs of delivering safe and efficient services for smaller hospitals providers relative to large providers.

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his Answer of 23 October 2014 to the Urgent Question on Five Year Forward View, Official Report, column 1044, what the process is that will ensure that the local NHS Foundation Trust is able to open GP surgeries with registered lists.

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his Answer of 23 October 2014 to the Urgent Question on Five Year Forward View, Official Report, column 1044, if he will ensure that Hartlepool constituency is a pilot area for the introduction of Primary and Acute Care Services.

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his Answer of 23 October 2014 to the Urgent Question on Five Year Forward View, Official Report, column 1044, if he will ensure that Hartlepool constituency is a pilot area for the pooling of health and social care budgets between the NHS and the local authority delegated to Multispecialty Community Providers.

Jane Ellison: The work announced in the Five Year Forward View relating to: - piloting the introduction of Multispecialty Community Providers and such providers taking over the running of their local hospital; - piloting the pooling of health and social care budgets between the National Health Service and the local authority delegated to Multispecialty Community Providers; - piloting the introduction of Primary and Acute Care Services; and - the process is that will ensure that Foundation Trusts are able to open general practitioner surgeries with registered lists   is now being developed by NHS England, Monitor, the Trust Development Authority, the Care Quality Commission, Public Health England and Health Education England. Sector involvement will be essential to this future work and more details about how they will be taking this work forward, and who they will be engaging, will be announced by them in due course.   Monitor and NHS England share responsibility for the payment system. As set out in the Five Year Forward View, NHS England and Monitor have committed to working together to consider whether any adjustments are needed to the NHS payment regime to reflect the costs of delivering safe and efficient services for smaller providers relative to larger ones.

Mental Health Services: Prostitution

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department issues on minimum standards of care in situations where patients who have been engaged in prostitution have been referred by the NHS for counselling or therapeutic services.

Norman Lamb: The Department has not issued specific guidance where patients who have been engaged in prostitution have been referred by the National Health Service for counselling or therapeutic services.   The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has issued guidelines for access to therapeutic services.

Heart Diseases: Gloucestershire

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to provide (a) further funding for and (b) expanded provision of paediatric cardiac surgery services in Gloucestershire; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: This is a matter for NHS England which is currently undertaking a review of congenital heart services for the whole pathway of care which includes paediatric cardiac surgical services, and the extent of provision of those services.   NHS England will provide appropriate funding for services as they are commissioned.

Mental Health Services: Prostitution

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients who have been engaged in prostitution were referred by the NHS for counselling or therapeutic services in each year since 2010-11.

Norman Lamb: This information is not held centrally. The occupation of people using Improving Access to Psychological Therapy services is not collected or reported.

Health

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the annual public health budget is for (a) Birmingham City Council, (b) Manchester City Council, (c) Leeds City Council, (d) Newcastle City Council, (e) Bristol City Council, (f) Southampton City Council, (g) Sunderland City Council and (h) the London Assembly.

Jane Ellison: Information is not available in the format requested. The information is provided for the upper tier and unitary local authority for the areas requested and for London boroughs within the Greater London Authority area. The allocations are below.   Public health allocation to upper tier and unitary local authorities in 2014-15Office for National Statistics Local Authority Name2014-15 allocation £'000Birmingham80,838Manchester44,116Leeds40,540Newcastle Upon Tyne21,301Bristol, City of29,122Southampton15,050Sunderland21,234 Greater London Authorities:577,514City of London1,698Barking and Dagenham14,213Barnet14,335Bexley7,574Brent18,848Bromley12,954Camden26,368Croydon18,825Ealing21,974Enfield14,257Greenwich19,061Hackney29,818Hammersmith and Fulham20,855Haringey18,189Harrow9,146Havering9,717Hillingdon15,709Hounslow14,084Islington25,429Kensington and Chelsea21,214Kingston upon Thames9,302Lambeth26,437Lewisham20,088Merton9,236Newham26,112Redbridge11,411Richmond upon Thames7,891Southwark22,946Sutton8,619Tower Hamlets32,261Waltham Forest12,277Wandsworth25,431Westminster31,235   The annual public health budget for 2014-15 is £2.79 billion provided to upper tier and unitary local authorities, we are providing local authorities with £8.2 billion ring- fenced public health funding over three years.

Prisoners' Release: Drugs

Dr Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many of the opioid-related deaths which occurred in Wales in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012 occurred in people who had been released from prison in the four weeks prior to their death.

Dr Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many of the opioid-related deaths which occurred in England in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012 occurred in people who had been released from prison in the four weeks prior to their death.

Norman Lamb: Information on opioid-related deaths in England following release from prison is not held centrally.   Health is a devolved matter. The Department is responsible for England and so is unable to provide this information for other areas of the United Kingdom.

Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to ensure that payments made by the pharmaceutical industry under the current Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme are used to NHS England to achieve measurable and improved access to new medicines by NHS patients.

George Freeman: The Department of Health has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Research

Dr Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to increase his Department's budget for research and development.

George Freeman: Planned expenditure from the research and development budget in 2014-15 is £1,077 million, which in cash terms, represents an increase of 26% in comparison with spend in 2009-10.   A budget figure for 2015-16 has not yet been set. This will happen as part of standard business planning later this year.

Ebola

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what support and screening facilities his Department has provided for health service volunteers assisting with the Ebola virus crisis in West Africa.

Jane Ellison: The Department of Health is collaborating with a number of Government Departments, Agencies and non-governmental organisation partners to provide support and screening to health service volunteers assisting with the Ebola crisis in West Africa. This work is being managed by the Department for International Development in conjunction with UK Med.   UK Med run the UK International Emergency Medical, of UK surgeons, anaesthetists, emergency physicians/nurses and other supporting medical, nursing and paramedical staff. They ensure that those who volunteer for this programme of work are appropriately trained, prepared and accountable.   The programme comprises a robust selection process, pre-deployment preparations and occupational health and psychological screening, training in the United Kingdom with further training and mentoring in Sierra Leone, and advice and support from Public Health England on monitoring health on return.

Ambulance Services: North West Region

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of the active time of the North West Ambulance Service ambulances stationed in South Lakeland District is spent outside that district.

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of the active time of North West Ambulance Service ambulances stationed outside South Lakeland District is spent inside that District.

Jane Ellison: The information requested is not collected centrally but might be obtained from the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust. The Government expects all ambulance trusts to provide a quality response to their populations based on the clinical needs of the patients.

Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have had on ensuring that the payments made by the pharmaceutical industry under the current Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme will be used to improve access to innovative medicines.

George Freeman: The Department of Health has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the (a) process and (b) timelines followed by the NHS to determine a specialised clinical commissioning policy are; and what the roles and responsibilities are of the NHS committees involved.

Jane Ellison: Clinical policies are developed by the appropriate service specific clinical reference group and reviewed by the Clinical Prioritisation Advisory Group (CPAG). CPAG then makes a recommendation whether to commission the service or treatment in question. CPAG recommendations are ratified by the Specialised Commissioning Oversight Group (SCOG).   The length of time to produce a clinical commissioning policy is variable depending on the complexity of the subject area. The timeline is typically between 6-9 months but can be shorter.   SCOG has operational oversight of specialised commissioning and has delegated authority to make decisions on the recommendations made by CPAG, which provides advice to NHS England about any decision-making that defines access to clinical services. The Directly Commissioned Services Committee, a sub-committee of the NHS England Board, oversees the delivery of directly commissioned services within the overall strategy set by NHS England. The SCOG reports to this committee.

Mental Health Services: Haltemprice

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average waiting time is for talking therapies in (a) Haltemprice and Howden constituency and (b) nationally.

Norman Lamb: East Riding of Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) commissions the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) service for the constituency of Haltemprice and Howden.   The following table shows the mean waiting time for IAPT services across the East Riding of Yorkshire CCG.Mean waiting time (days)England39.5NHS East Riding of Yorkshire CCG150.6 Note: Entering treatment figures except England totals are rounded to the nearest 5.   Source: Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) Dataset   Achieving Better Access to Mental Health Services by 2020 sets out action the Government is taking to provide better access to mental health services within the next year, including a national waiting time standard for talking therapies of 75% of people waiting for less than six weeks and 95% of people waiting for less than 18 weeks. It also sets out its vision for further progress by 2020.   £40 million in additional funding has been identified to enable change in the current financial year, and a further £80 million will be freed up for 2015-16 to support implementation of waiting times in mental health services.

Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to ensure that the payments made by the pharmaceutical industry under the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme will be apportioned to each of the devolved health administrations, whilst securing that the mechanism in place for determining apportionment ensures that patients in all four constituent parts of the UK receive benefits from the payments made throughout the duration of the scheme.

George Freeman: The Government recognises that the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS) payments that companies make under the 2014 scheme in respect of the United Kingdom need to be allocated to each of the devolved administrations in a fair way. Under the new arrangements introduced as part of the 2014 scheme, the apportionments will be agreed with the devolved administrations each year. The method for apportioning 2014-15 payments has not yet been finalised.   It is a matter for the devolved health administrations to decide how to use the apportioned payments they receive from the PPRS.

Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to use the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme to make the UK (a) a global leader in providing patients access to the most innovative appropriate medicines and (b) an attractive place for pharmaceutical companies to locate and invest.

George Freeman: The Department of Health has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his oral contribution of 23 October 2014, Official Report, columns 1044-5, on Five Year Forward View, if he will ensure that any Multispeciality Community Providers are NHS providers; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: It is envisaged that the vast majority of future provision of National Health Service services will be by NHS bodies, including Multispecialty Community Providers. Further details about how NHS England intend to support areas wishing to develop these providers will be announced in due course.